The Hardest Goodbye
by shannyfish
Summary: Oliver is forced to make a choice again, but his choice will impact his relationship with Felicity. Will he choose the right one? Or will he push Felicity into the arms of another man?
1. Broken

"_I want to be your favorite hello and your hardest goodbye." ~ Unknown_

. . .

"It's your fault, she's dead!"

Kick!

Hit!

Smack!

"STOP!"

And Oliver went flying through the air. He was bloody and bruised. Felicity had a feeling that Slade had already broken bones. She didn't see Oliver coming out of this fight alive. She knew that Oliver had said that he'd killed Slade before and had put an arrow through his eye. Obviously the eye hadn't grown back, but Slade was alive. Her heart pounded and she held her breath as she watched Oliver's body slide down the wall. She had been told to stay back, but she didn't think she could much longer now. She couldn't bear to see Oliver beat anymore. She knew that Diggle had medical training, but already this was more than hospital worthy.

Kick!

Without thinking, Felicity dashed towards Oliver's body. She covered him like a shield with her own body. She choked out a sob as she listened to his labored breathing. She was absolutely certain that there was blood on her. She didn't care. It didn't matter. She just wanted to protect him.

"This is between him and I!" Slade bellowed.

Felicity cringed as more sobs responded to his angry yells. She'd been the bait in the trap. Oliver had told him that this was between him and Slade. Slade had agreed that Felicity wasn't to be harmed, but now she'd put herself between them. Felicity knew that Slade had the Mirakuru inside of him, there was no way she could see that Oliver was going to win this fight and she couldn't bear to lose him.

"Please!" Felicity finally managed to plead. She turned her head to look up at Slade, whom was standing over them. He towered high above and she could see splattering of what she could only assume was Oliver's blood on him. "Please! I know I don't know everything that happened on that island," she told him as tears flooded her face and her voice broke. Felicity looked back down to Oliver, her tears falling onto his broken and bloody face, before she looked back up at Slade. "I love him—"

"I know you do," Slade told her. "That's why I had you picked up… Oliver would do anything to keep you safe… I don't quite get why…but he loved Shado too…and he's the reason she's dead…"

"Then kill me… You've practically killed him already," she whispered. Felicity straightened herself, sitting up. "Take my life instead of his…"

This seemed to catch Slade off guard. His look softened and he stepped back a couple of steps. "His life isn't worth yours," Slade finally responded, his voice hardened and cold.

"I think it is," she whispered and looked down at Oliver. If Slade killed her, then maybe Diggle could get there and save Oliver…

"No," Oliver breathed.

"Shhh…" Felicity told him as she hovered over him. She kissed his forehead gently. "It's going to be okay…" She stared at him, one of his eyes opened. The other one was swollen shut. His bright blue eye stared up at her. Felicity carefully caressed his bruised cheek. "Digg will be here…" she choked out.

The laughter that broke out surprised her and she jumped at the sound of it. She looked up to see a rather amused Slade standing there. Was he just going to kill them both? Was he just merely amused and entertained by her agony? What? Felicity waited, she was certain that Slade would explain things.

"I have a better idea," Slade said taking a step forward.

Felicity just stared at him; her body shielding Oliver's again as best as she could in that position. She didn't understand and had so many questions. "Please…don't kill him…"

"I'm not," Slade responded. "What I have planned…it'll be much worse…"

Worse?

Her mind started to race.

"Leave us, Ms. Smoak."

"No," she whispered.

"You're going to leave willingly or by my hand…" Slade told her, his voice harsh and threatening.

"Don't touch her!" Oliver suddenly voiced and then coughed.

"Tell her to leave…or I'll have no choice…"

"Felicity—"

"I'm not leaving you," she whispered as she stared down at Oliver. She didn't know if he could even stand on his own. What if she left and Slade just killed him? Could she live with herself? Could she even live after that? She hadn't even told him—"

"Please—"

"Oliver, I—"

"I give you my word that he'll still be in the same piece he is now after I walk out of here," Slade interrupted.

"How can I trust you?" Felicity questioned. She didn't want to go, but at the same time Slade had made it clear that he'd remove her and he certainly had the strength to do so. She had no doubt that he'd do it.

"Have I lied to you?"

Felicity stared at him for a long moment. "No," she whispered.

"If I was going to kill Oliver, I'd happily have an audience," Slade told her with a grin.

He was terrifying, but he was telling her the truth. She looked back down to Oliver. He looked so small and so vulnerable. She didn't want to leave him. "Oliv—"

Oliver gave her the smallest of smiles even though he was broken. "It's okay, I won't go anywhere…"

She smiled back, just a little, but tears ran down her face. Felicity had to really will herself to move away from him and leave him alone with Slade. She made it outside and Diggle was just pulling up. Felicity was certain she was a wreck and had no idea how she was going to keep him outside with her while Slade was talking to Oliver…

"John," she breathed as she ran into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her and she heard him talking, but she really didn't take it all in. She just answered what she thought he was saying. "I need you to stay here…we have to wait…" She sobbed for a minute and then fought for control. "Until Slade is done—"

"Slade?! He's in there with Oliver still?!"

Oliver held onto his arms, digging her fingernails into him, as he struggled to leave her in order to go find Oliver. "No! You don't understand!" she cried out. How could she even explain it so that Diggle would really understand and not just go running in there? She really didn't know how to do it.

"Felicity! He needs us! How can you just stand out here?!"

She opened her mouth, tears down her face, but then Slade just walked by them like he didn't even know them. He paid them no acknowledgement. Felicity released Diggle immediately and they were both running into the warehouse again. She practically twisted her ankle as she fell back down to Oliver's side.

He was exactly where she'd left him and he didn't look any worse for wear. She looked up at Diggle, who looked pissed. She wondered if he blamed her or if he thought that Slade did all of this while they were outside. She knew that this was exactly how she'd left him.

"Oliver?"

"I hurt," he groaned.

"I don't care what either of you say, I'm getting an ambulance here now," Diggle told her as he dialed on his phone.

"Fine," she said quickly. Felicity reached out and immediately started to remove the hood first from Oliver. "I'm sorry," she whispered as she tried to do it as quickly as possible. She was determined to strip Oliver out of his Arrow costume before the police got there.

"Felicity?" Oliver gasped.

"Shh… " she hushed and then she looked to Diggle. "Tell me you have a change of clothes in your car…"

"In my trunk," Diggle said.

"That's good enough," she said and then heard Diggle start to tell the 9-11 dispatcher what had happened and that they'd tracked Oliver's phone there. Felicity stripped Oliver of his green leather uniform and gathered it up before grabbing Diggle's keys from him.

Felicity retrieved a pair of workout pants from Diggle's car and stowed away the Arrow costume in a duffel bag in the trunk. She returned and started to rub the pants around on the ground to get them dirty and then with Diggle's help, they put them on Oliver. He was already wearing a white shirt, so she felt like that was enough. She rubbed dirt into the already blood stained shirt.

"They're going to be here any minute, Man," Diggle told Oliver.

"Felicity?" Oliver breathed.

"She's here."

"Send her home."

Felicity just stared at Oliver and then at Diggle. She had to have heard that wrong. Oliver wanted her to leave? She wasn't leaving… She was going to the hospital with him. Felicity was going to sit in the ambulance with him. She was going to sit at his bedside until he was discharged. There was no way she was going home. Felicity didn't even think that Diggle would tell her that.

"When you're loaded up into the ambulance," Diggle promised Oliver.

"John—" Felicity started to argue.

"I think we can both agree that right now, all that matters is that we get Oliver to the hospital and try to keep his identity as the Arrow secret," Diggle told her in a hushed tone.

He was right.

Felicity looked down at Oliver and didn't know how she was going to be okay with not going to the hospital with him. He didn't want her there… Why didn't he want her there? "Oliver, I—"

Oliver turned his head away from her just as the ambulance sirens blared.

Her heart dropped and broke. Felicity looked up at Diggle and felt like she was about to lose it. Oliver had been rude and even mean to her in the beginning…but not like this…not since they had gotten so close. At least she thought they were close. She'd felt like she knew Oliver better than he knew himself sometimes.

"What happened?"

She hadn't even realized that anyone had entered the warehouse, but Diggle was on his feet and explaining things to the police and the medics as the medics tended to Oliver. Eventually, Diggle was the one pulling her to her feet. The medics seemed to have things well under hand.

"Officer Lance?" Diggle called.

"They're about to move him," Lance informed them. "They're going to be taking him to Starling General. Are either of you going to ride along?"

Felicity just looked at Diggle. She wanted to go so badly, but Oliver had been quite clear. "Are you going to go?" she whispered.

"Can we have a minute?" Diggle asked. Lance nodded and Diggle pulled her a few feet so that they were out of earshot of the police and medics roaming the warehouse. "I know you want to go," he started. His voice was quiet and gentle. Felicity was fairly sure that he knew exactly how she felt and why she wanted to go so badly besides the fact that they were all friends. "But he doesn't want you to go… He's probably just shaken about things because of Slade… Just…let Lance take you home…"

Felicity looked down and held the new tears in place. She was certain that she was a complete mess. Maybe it was better this way. It couldn't be good for Oliver to see her in such a state. Her eyes were probably red, her make up was probably running everywhere, and she just was too emotional anyways. That didn't mean that she was really thrilled about the situation.

"I'm going to text you…and call you…and keep you updated tonight, okay?" Diggle asked. He suddenly pulled her into his arms. She clung to him and stifled the sobs that wanted to push out. "He's going to be okay…and he'll snap out of whatever is going on… He's going to want to see you tomorrow, I'm sure… Okay?"

"Okay," she whispered.

She didn't know if that was true, but she hoped he was right. Felicity just didn't understand. Could he really say that he didn't want her to see him like that? She'd watched Slade beat him. She'd tried to shield him from being killed by Slade. Was he just self-conscious? Was he embarrassed? None of that made any sense to her. Oliver had climbed into the back of her car when he'd been shot by his mother and she'd helped to patch him up numerous times before… Oliver being injured or even on the brink of death wasn't anything new for her. It just didn't make sense to her. The only thing she could really think could be possible was that Slade had knocked him around so much that it had scrambled his brain a bit.

"Right now what matters is that he's okay, right?" Diggle asked.

Felicity nodded slowly.

"So, I'll ask Lance if he can take you home… You take the bag out of my car. We can tell them that it has QC files or something in it that can't be left here overnight," Diggle said. "And you'll see… Tomorrow, things are going to be as close to being back to normal as they can be with Oliver beaten nearly to death."

"He's going to be okay, right?" Felicity asked. She needed to at least hear it from Diggle before she left.

"They think so," Diggle responded as he let he go. He held onto her arms and stared at her. "He's strong. You and I know exactly how strong, remember?"

She nodded.

"Come on," he said as he guided her back towards Lance.

She'd not missed the fact that the medics already had Oliver up on a stretcher and somehow Felicity swore that he looked better. She didn't know how or if it was just her imagination. She just kept having to remind herself that he was going to be okay and he was getting the care he needed.

"I was hoping that you'd be able to drive Felicity home," Diggle said. "I think she's honestly too shaken up to drive or else I'd have her take my car."

"Of course," Lance said. "I'll do it myself."

"Thank you."

"Thank you," Felicity echoed in a whisper.

Her eyes were on the stretcher the whole time. In her head, all she could think of was how he didn't want her there. His words kept turning over in her mind. Him looking away from her kept flashing in her head and she was barely holding it together.

"I'll text you soon," Diggle said. His hand slid down her arm before he finally left her to walk after the stretcher.

"Let's get you home," Lance told her.

She didn't want to go.

. . .

TBC…


	2. In The Hospital

Pain.

Slade.

Pain.

Felicity.

Pain.

Felicity…

Pain.

Felicity!

"Hey, hey…you're okay… You're okay…"

Oliver felt hands on his shoulders, pushing him back. He groaned and then slowly tried to open his eyes. They didn't want to open. They were heavy like bricks. Oliver pressed though. He needed to know what was going on. "Digg—" he choked out.

"You're in the hospital. I've been here with you the whole time."

He reached out to try to grab a hold of Diggle. He needed some sense of this being real. What if this was just a big nightmare? He finally managed to get just a sliver of one of his eyes open. His vision was blurry and it was hard to keep his eye open even that much.

"Calm down. Calm down."

"Fe-li-ci-ty," he managed to get out slowly.

He heard Diggle sigh. "She was devastated when you told her to go home…and then I made Lance take her. She's worried about you."

"Slade," he whispered slowly and let his eye shut again.

He remembered now.

"She…safe…"

"She's safe," Diggle confirmed.

"Good."

He remembered her crying over him and he could only imagine what she was going through at home. It had to be done though. He shouldn't have gotten so close to her in the first place. He was wrong. They couldn't protect her. He was selfish for keeping her this long and for letting himself get so close to her. It was wrong. It put her in danger. It could have gotten her killed.

"Oliver, I know that this is hard…but you have to tell me what happened…" Diggle said. "And you need to tell me that I can text Felicity to come down here… She doesn't understand. I don't understand."

"No."

"Oliver—"

"No."

"Why?"

"No."

"That's not an answer."

"No," he repeated.

He couldn't tell Diggle. If he did, he knew that Diggle would try to talk him out of what he was doing. It was going to be hard, but he had to stick to this plan. Oliver would have died in order to protect Felicity, to protect both of them, but Slade wouldn't allow that.

Slade wanted Oliver to live with the pain…like he did every day. Slade lived with the loss of Shado… That was Oliver's fault and he knew that he had to pay for it. He had just never thought that it would ever come to this. It was almost too much for him to bear.

. . .

"I never thought I'd say this, but I think I might hate you."

"You don't understand."

"So make me."

He couldn't.

No matter how much Oliver wanted, he couldn't make Diggle understand without hurting Felicity. Really, either way he was going to hurt her. He just felt like he was doing what was right.

"If you can't do it—"

"It's better coming from me," Diggle told him. "I just don't think you should be making sure a huge decision after everything you've been through. You're in the hospital… Give it a couple of days… A week… Two weeks… You could have a concussion—"

"I'm thinking clearly!"

"That's debatable."

"Either do it or don't."

Oliver was actually surprised that Diggle had agreed to what he was instructing him to do. It was a lot to ask. The three of them were close and he knew it would be hard on Diggle and that it was going to crush Felicity. He didn't want to do it. He had to. None of them would understand.

"Don't tempt me to ask them to put you under a psych hold."

"Go for it."

For a long time they just stared at each other.

"What the hell happened to you in that warehouse with Slade? Whatever happened, it changed you…and I don't mean the injuries that you sustained."

Oliver sucked in breath. He knew that no matter what, Diggle would push this. He'd want answers. He wanted to understand. Oliver didn't blame him, but this time… This time Diggle just needed to trust him. He needed to be okay with no understanding.

"I told you before that we could protect her," Oliver told him. "I was wrong…"

"Oliver—"

"She's not happy, Diggle… Felicity went to MIT. She's far too smart for what she's doing…" Oliver said trying to make it sound like he was doing her a huge favor. He knew that no one was going to actually see it that way. "Plus, you saw her with Barry… I'm doing what's best for her."

"Shouldn't that be for Felicity to decide?"

"Sometimes we need to be pushed."

"Felicity doesn't like to be pushed, especially not by you."

"I don't care," Oliver said. "I want the arrangements made… I want her to be pushed in this direction… She'll be safe… She'll be happy."

"I don't think she's going to be as happy as you think."

"She will be…"

He had to believe that. It was the only way that he could continue with the plans he was pushing Diggle to put into place. Oliver didn't know if being in the hospital made it easier or not. On one hand he would rather be the one calling in favors and making arrangements, but right now he needed to rely on Diggle to do it.

"It might just take some time," Oliver whispered.

. . .

TBC…


	3. I Hate My Job

Felicity had been worried out of her mind. She'd been obsessively checking her phone and her e-mail. She was craving word…any kind of word about Oliver. All she wanted to do was to go to the hospital and see him, but she'd been trying to respect his wishes. It wasn't easy.

She'd thought about not caring about what Oliver wanted and to just gather up her coat and purse and head out. Felicity was sure that he wouldn't send her away if she was just there. Or at least that was what she was hoping. Every time she'd convince herself that she should go, she'd stop at the door and make herself put everything back and resume torturing herself about going.

The knock on the door scared her enough to make her drop her coffee mug and spill her coffee all over the floor; luckily she somehow escaped burning herself. She left it there to hurry to the door. She didn't even look through the peephole before flinging it open. "Is he-? He's okay! He has—"

"He's okay, Felicity," Diggle said as he let himself in.

"You haven't texted me since—"

"I know, I had to come and talk to you in person."

Felicity closed the door and followed him. "It was bad…but he's going to recover fully, right? I mean he went through God knows what on that island… He's almost died multiple times since we joined on… He's going to be fine…"

"The doctors think so," Diggle told her. His voice was even and calm, but she could see that there was something that he just wasn't telling her. "He wants to go home, obviously, but he's got some breaks… They're waiting for swelling to go down before doing anything."

"Good…that's good…" she said. "But there's something else…"

Diggle frowned. "I shouldn't have to have this conversation with you. I told him it wasn't fair to me…or to you…"

"What?" she asked as they sat down on the couch. Her heart was racing in anticipation for what Diggle might say. She'd been banished from his side for far too long and she just desperately wanted to go to the hospital and be there for him. "Please tell me that they've told him he had a concussion and he wasn't thinking clearly and that—"

"Oliver has asked me to make arrangements for you," Diggle interrupted.

"Arrangements?"

It didn't sound like something he would have to do if she was just going to the hospital to see Oliver. She didn't need anything fancy… If anything, Oliver was the one who needed arrangements made for him. If they were going to release him, then he was going to need care and physical therapy and things to keep him sane. Felicity had already come up with a whole list of activities and board games that she hoped that Oliver would find interesting enough to keep him occupied and distracted.

"Oliver has decided to let you go…" Diggle started.

Let her go?

Felicity started to panic. What had she done? What was he letting her go from? Team Arrow? From Queen Consolidated? From his life? From all of it? "No… He doesn't know what he's saying…"

"I wish I could back you up on that, Felicity," Diggle said calmly.

Felicity was nowhere near calm anymore. She was full on freaking out and was starting to have problems thinking clearly. All she could think was that there was something wrong with Oliver and she was the only one who knew it. And on top of it all, she wasn't allowed to see him.

"But he's been speaking clearly and this is the only thing he's said that's close to crazy…"

"I don't believe it," she barely breathed. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to demand that they go see Oliver right that moment, that she'd only accept it if she heard it directly from him. Felicity wanted to cry and to tell him that she couldn't do that. Diggle and Oliver with her family, QC and Team Arrow were her life. Why would he take that all away from her?

"I'm supposed to set you up in Central City," Diggle told her. He spoke slowly and seemed to be trying to keep calm. Felicity was sure that it was for her sake. "A new job, a new apartment, an allowance, and…"

"I don't want any of it," Felicity mumbled as tears fell down her face. She stared at Diggle and she wanted him to comfort her and tell her it was okay. She wanted him to be on her side, but she didn't know if that was going to happen. Right now he was sent as Oliver's messenger…

"Barry Allen is awake, Felicity," Diggle told her. "I've already talked to him… Once everything is settled here…he's going to pick you up in Central City. Your car is leased… Oliver wants a new one purchased for you to pick up in Central City."

"I like my car. I like my apartment. I like my job. Both of them. I should have a choice in this," Felicity told him seriously as she tried to maintain some kind of calmness in her voice. Her voice teetered here and there.

"I know you should," Diggle told her. He looked down for a moment before looking back up at her. "Do you really think that I want to be the one to tell you any of this? I don't want to send you away… I think he's an idiot." Diggle's tone was starting to get upset. "I don't even know how long they're going to keep him in the hospital or how messed up…physically…he really is. The swelling doesn't help things… Let alone…his head…"

"I guess as long as he's not hallucinating," she tried to joke, but it fell flat. They just stared at each other in silence. Felicity's cheeks were flooded with tears and a sob rose up in her chest. She looked down and just didn't know what to do. She couldn't accept this. She couldn't.

"Why is he doing this?" she finally asked.

"I honestly don't know," Diggle replied. "It might be because of that time with Slade alone…or it could be something else… I don't know. I tried to get it out of him. He didn't budge on telling me why…"

"I can't just go to Central City and start over," Felicity told him between sobs. Diggle's arms wrapped around her and she had no idea how she was going to handle the rest of the day…or any time after that. "You and Oliver…you're my family."

"Shh…" Diggle tried to calm her.

It didn't work.

Felicity was done trying to be calm. She let the floodgates open and cried her eyes out. Her throat and chest hurt from the sobs. Oliver was asking her to give up everything. She couldn't… They were her family. They were her everything. She didn't care if Barry was awake, that didn't mean that she wanted to go to Central City and live there…

"Can't you tell him I'm sorry?" she babbled.

She hung to Diggle and just wanted to understand. Right now, she just couldn't. She felt like she'd been put in the corner and now was being sent away without seeing anyone. Oliver was effectively putting her in isolation. She hated it. She wanted to hate him for it. She could never be mad at him for long though.

"Felicity, I don't think it's something to apologize about," he whispered as he rubbed her back.

"He can't just tell me to go—"

"But he can fire you…" Diggle told her.

"John, please—"

"Right now, I can't find out anything from him," he whispered. "He's being an idiot. Plain and simple. He won't open up to me. He's only concerned about sending you away. So, I have to send you away. I need to be able to find out what's going on with him…and as soon as I know what's going on…then you know I'll be trying to get you back home…"

"I don't want to go, John," she pleaded.

"I don't want you to go either… I don't."

She knew he was telling the truth. She could hear it in his voice. Suddenly, she felt this calmness hit her. It was like it was ok all of the sudden. Felicity didn't know why. It wasn't okay. If anything, things were just worse.

"He needs both of us," Felicity whispered.

"I know." Diggle was quiet for a moment before speaking up again. "Oliver isn't the only one who needs you." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "But I can tell you this… It's going to be okay… Not today or tomorrow…but when I pull his head out of his ass…"

Felicity barely smiled, but it was just enough. She held tight to Diggle. She didn't know how she could give up her family there. How she could just give up everything and leave. "I hate moving," she whispered.

"So, I'll figure out how to keep rent here… You can think of it like going on a business trip," Diggle told her. "You'll be doing job training… You just happen to get an allowance and a car out of it…"

"It won't make it any easier."

"I know."

"I just want to see him. Once. Just once before I have to go," she told him.

Diggle nodded against her. "I'll call you from the hospital when Oliver's a sleep. You can come by then…" He pulled back and stared at her.

Felicity nodded. That was enough. She just had to see him with her own eyes. She knew that not enough time had passed for him to heal, but she just needed to see that he was doing better…even if it wasn't noticeable. She wanted to say her goodbyes, even if he didn't hear it. She needed that bit of closure.

"Then, I'll go back and tell Oliver that the arrangements need to be finalized… Do you have any requests on the car?"

"Same as I have now…" she told him.

"I love when you make my life easier," Diggle told her with a small smile. She was quiet and he just stared at her. "It is going to be okay…" He sounded so confident. He wasn't the one who was being sent away.

"What about QC?"

"I don't know," he said. "I guess Mrs. Queen will step in."

"Isabel and Mrs. Queen don't exactly get along."

"No kidding. You're going to miss some incredible fights, I'm sure. I'll be sure to keep you updated," Diggle told her.

Felicity frowned still. "Do you really think this is just temporary?"

"One thing I know, Oliver doesn't really want to send you away. So, he's either guilting himself into this or Slade…"

It really was a toss up. Slade had said that he'd thought of something even worse than killing Oliver. But how could he really force Oliver's hand? Felicity just couldn't come up with a good reason for any of it.

"Just promise me I'll be back home soon."

"I won't be able to stand his attitude for much longer without thinking about killing him," Diggle told her frankly. "So, you will be home soon."

She knew Diggle would keep his promise.

That was all she needed to hear.

. . .

TBC…


	4. Central City

There was still time to change her mind.

Felicity kept telling herself that, but she knew that she wouldn't. She was too worried about permanently losing Oliver and Diggle. That's really the only reason she was agreeing. She knew that Diggle would keep his word and figure out a way to get her back…for things to go back to normal. She had faith and trust in him. She knew that he'd watch out for Oliver, but that he also couldn't do it alone…at least not if he wanted to keep his sanity.

"He looks…"

"He looks worse than he really is," Diggle told her. "Trust me. They've got him knocked out right now."

"Why?" she questioned as she looked over at him. Felicity was okay with it because it meant that she could do more than stand outside and peek in from the window.

"The doctor just told me that they're going to take him in for surgery," Diggle said calmly. "It's nothing major—"

"Surgery is a major thing."

"They just want to ensure that there's no internal bleeding… That none of his ribs have punctured or damaged any of his internal organs…"

"That's worse!" Felicity told him. "That's just opening you up to explore!"

"He's so swollen and bruised and broken, Felicity… It's better than just crossing our fingers and hoping that everything is okay," Diggle told her.

And he was right.

Even with all the technology they had nowadays, sometimes it was best just to do exploratory surgery… Just to make sure things were okay. She still disliked hospitals, mainly because of the needles and pokey things.

"I just—" she said and her voice broke. She swallowed her tears and told herself that she couldn't get emotional. "I wish I could be here…"

"I know," Diggle told her. "Believe me, I wish you could be here too… You'd do a much better job than I would… And believe it or not, I think that you can handle him better than I can… He listens to you."

"Not when he's banishing me."

"We both know that there's something going on that he's not telling anyone about," he insisted. "There's no other reason…"

"Maybe they need to check his brain while they're at it," she said with some irritation.

Diggle smirked. "I already have the doctor doing that. He's told Oliver it's standard procedure… I told him that he's not making choices that he would have before…."

"Is it horrible of me for hoping that it'll say that something's wrong?"

"No."

"I really don't want to go to Central City," she whispered as she broke down. Felicity looked at Diggle and he had her in his arms before she could say anything else. She clung to him and wondered how she was going to survive without him. Not only were Oliver and Diggle her family, but Diggle was always the voice of reason… She'd survived before them, but life just hadn't been as interesting. She knew why Oliver was sending her to Central City…

Barry Allen.

In all honesty, she didn't know what to think. Was he hoping that she'd be happy there? Was he hoping to throw her into his arms? Barry had asked her if she liked Oliver before…and though she'd said 'no', Barry had known the truth. He'd seemed to even understand. As much as Felicity liked Barry, she didn't see them having this relationship just because that's where she was sent.

"It's going to be okay," Diggle told her. He squeezed her. "I promise…the three of us are going to be back together before you know it… You'll be fighting with Oliver and I'll be rolling my eyes and wondering when he's going to learn some common sense."

That was enough to bring a slight smile to her face. That really was a normal night at the Foundry. She would miss them so much though. She nodded against him and squeezed him back before taking a step out of the hug. She looked towards Oliver with a quiet sigh.

"Do you think you could give me a couple of minutes?"

"Yeah," Diggle whispered. "Take your time."

She waited until Diggle left before moving. She heard the door shut and approached the bed. He was knocked out, but he at least looked content. His face was mottled with bruises and he looked horrible, but he was still just as handsome.

Crap, why did she fall in love with him?

Why did she love Oliver Queen?

He wouldn't love her back. She was just barely visible in his world. She was definitely not like any of the other women that Oliver dated… She wasn't Laurel Lance…or even Sara Lance… Why would he ever choose her? Right now he was sending her away…that just added to her feelings of being unloved and rejected by Oliver.

"I love you," she whispered as tears fell down her face. Felicity's hand caressed his cheek ever so gently before she leaned down and kissed his cheek. "I miss you already…"She choked on her words and took a moment to really breathe. "I want to come home…let me come home…" she whispered into his ear before kissing the side of his face.

. . .

She'd told Diggle that she didn't want to move all her things and he'd promised to make sure that the rent was paid on her apartment for the time being and to pop by and just check on things. Felicity had packed what she'd absolutely needed and gotten onto the train to Central City.

"Felicity!"

He seemed so happy to see her. He was all smiles and beaming. She didn't feel like that right now, but also felt guilty in bringing down his mood. So, Felicity pushed forward a smile for him as she approached. She hugged him and squeezed probably a little too much, but she really needed it.

"You have to have another bag," he told her.

Felicity smiled brightly, for his sake. "I have a larger one… Not sure where to pick it up."

"I know where," Barry told her and happily showed her the way.

She followed along with him in silence. She wondered what Diggle had told her. Felicity wondered if Barry really knew how she was feeling and that in all honesty, she wasn't thrilled to be there. She didn't want a new car, a new job, or a new apartment. She wanted her life back…

"I know you're not really that happy," he whispered after he had retrieved her rather large suitcase. He'd guided her to where they'd be catching a taxi. "Diggle's told me pretty much everything…I think, anyways…"

"It's not that I'm not happy that you're out of a coma. I am," Felicity told him quickly. "They were supposed to call me when your condition changed and—"

"It's okay," he told her as he held up his hand. A smile was still on his face. "The staff told me that you'd stayed with me longer than anyone else."

"I just—"

"I get it," Barry told her. "I do."

"Are you mad?"

"No."

"I am," she admitted quietly and stared at him. "No offense… I would have loved to come and visit you, but I hadn't planned on leaving my life in Starling City behind and I think Oliver thinks—"

"You think he's doing this because of us?" Barry questioned. "Not that there is an 'us'…I was just—"

"I know," she said with a smile.

"But I think he wants you to be happy," Barry told her. "Not that I'm defending him… I'm just thinking in his shoes… And you do deserve to be happy, Felicity…"

She smiled sadly at him. "Sometimes I wonder about that."

"You shouldn't," he said quietly as one of his hands ran along her arm and then grasped her hand. He squeezed it for a second as their eyes met. It was only a second though. The next second he was waving down a taxi.

. . .

"You have to admit, when you get banished…you get banished well," Barry told her.

Felicity couldn't stop staring. She was starting to wonder if Diggle really set this all up or if Oliver had some hand in it. She'd already seen the newer model, but same color, Mini Cooper that was parked in her apartment space. The key had already been found inside. The apartment was beautiful. Felicity hadn't expected something so expensive. There was no way that she normally would have been able to afford it. It was also already furnished, which was a major plus since she left her things in Starling City.

"I didn't—" Felicity started and then stopped.

She was still very much in awe of the apartment. Barry was right though; everything was absolutely beautiful and perfect. It made her sad, though. Felicity immediately stopped what she had started to think. It brought tears to her eyes and she had to turn away from Barry.

"Felicity? Are you okay?" he asked.

Damn him. He was far more observant than Oliver.

"I just," she whispered and then stopped. "I just need a minute," Felicity told him before heading towards the bedroom.

She'd thought that this was the kind of place that she could have seen herself with Oliver. If they two of them had ever had a relationship and they'd gotten to the living together phase, this would have been the kind of place that she could have seen them in.

Once she was in the bedroom, she pulled the door shut and leaned against it. She slid down and cried quietly.

. . .

TBC…


	5. Misery

He was going to be in the hospital far longer than he'd wanted or accepted…or generally longer than he thought he could stay sane. Diggle had stayed by his side most of the time, though Oliver knew that currently Diggle wasn't his biggest fan. Oliver had separated their team and had forced Diggle into being the one who did it.

John Diggle was a man of morals. He was trained and he was just in general, a good person. He'd done his research on him…and even when he wasn't sure what Diggle would do…Oliver knew that saving Diggle had been right. The thing was, they'd all become a family. He hadn't planned on that. He hadn't ever expected that.

Though Oliver knew that John had brought Felicity to say goodbye to him, he wasn't going to say anything. Oliver knew that if he did, he might burn bridges for good and he didn't want that. He didn't want any of it. He rolled his head in the direction of the only window of the room. It was bright outside and he'd give anything to just go home. They'd sedated him, but he remembered her voice…he'd felt her presence…he'd felt her lips on his skin…

"Is he still asleep?"

"No, Sir."

Oliver rolled his head in the other direction to find not only his mother and Thea, but Walter as well. Walter's British voice was what had caught his attention immediately. He hadn't expected a 'family' visit, not like this… "Wha—" He also noticed that Diggle had disappeared against a wall, standing much like he was at attention. No matter what, Diggle always kept appearances up.

"We wanted to see if you wanted to come home," Thea said with far too much excitement.

"I don't think the doctors—"

"We've just finished talking to them," Moira said. "They're willing to release you to home care."

"A nurse and doctor will be coming by the house twice a day to check on you," Walter told him. "I told Moira that I'd be more than happy to drop by in the evening to help you stay on top of what's going on at Queen Consolidated."

"I thought they wanted me to stay longer," Oliver said in confusion.

"The doctor said what you need is to heal…and rest…" Moira said, her voice full of concern. For a moment, Oliver could see the mother that he remembered when he was younger. "At the very least, you should be more comfortable there…and Mr. Diggle wouldn't have to babysit you in these rather uncomfortable conditions."

"Your mother's right, Mr. Queen," Diggle spoke up. "You would heal a lot better if you were in an environment that was familiar and more comfortable."

"I—" Oliver started to argue.

"Please, Ollie," Thea practically pleaded. "Roy's already agreed to run things at Verdant, so that I can spend a few days with you…"

"Whoever did this to you, Son," Walter spoke up. "I can guarantee will not get to you inside of the mansion. You're going to be a lot safer than here."

They didn't get it. It wasn't that he was scared, he just wanted to wallow. It was easier to wallow in the hospital. Though, he had to admit, he wanted out so badly. "I just don't want to be a burden…"

"You're never a burden to this family," Walter said, his accent making it sound so proper.

Oliver didn't think he could really argue very much with them. When they came together as a united front, it never seemed like it was something to easily weasel around. It was weird to see this family unit in front of him. He honestly wasn't sure what to think about it. All he knew was that he really didn't have many options right now. He still had to worry about his family's safety with Slade still out there. He had to stay close.

He had a duty to his family.

He had to keep from failing them.

Oliver knew that he could keep them safe if he kept close to them. He knew whom he could trust and whom he couldn't. As much as he wanted to distance himself to keep them safe, he couldn't.

"Okay," he finally spoke up. "I think I'd like that."

Everyone seemed thrilled, except for Diggle. Oliver honestly didn't know if that was merely because Diggle was just done with him in general or if it was just Diggle's 'on duty' face. They still had to protect their secret identities.

. . .

Oliver knew that no one was happy with him.

That fact hadn't escaped him.

It hadn't gotten any easier even weeks after he'd been released from the hospital. He'd pushed himself in physical therapy and had tried to return to the Foundry as soon as he was allowed. He didn't know how it got to this point.

Wasn't he the one in charge of things?

So, that really wasn't true…

They'd been a team.

It had been him, Diggle, and Felicity.

Felicity.

Felicity…

Oliver sighed as he stared at the computer. Since he'd sent her away, they'd been slacking. Things just didn't run as smoothly and nothing came as quickly or easily as it once had.

Then there was Sara and Roy.

They were a handful.

Well, they were more than a handful.

That day he'd gone after Felicity, when Slade had taken her, he hadn't told them…he hadn't called them. He'd called Diggle. Roy was still dangerous and unable to always hold control. Oliver also didn't feel like he was ready to be up against Slade. No matter if Roy had Mirakuru in his system or not, Roy needed his abilities and strength fine-tuned. And Sara, well, he just hadn't wanted to risk that either Slade would just kill Felicity or that Sara might get herself killed.

The point was that Slade was his problem.

No one else should be involved.

He knew that he'd been distancing himself from everyone, but it was all he could do in order to keep them alive. It was almost worse than being on the island. He was miserable and he knew that people were just as miserable with him. It couldn't be helped.

Oliver's fingers danced across the keys, but frustrating enough, the information he was looking for kept escaping him. Felicity would have been able to find it in no time. She would have had no problem with it. How was this going to work? How would Team Arrow be able to go on?

Maybe it shouldn't.

"What's wrong?" Diggle asked.

"Nothing," Oliver replied.

Diggle gave him that look that told him that he wasn't getting anything past him. "Let's be serious, Oliver… We could vote on whether or not the team thinks that something's up with you."

He hated Diggle.

Okay, so he didn't, but sometimes he felt like he did.

John Diggle was going to become a saint from dealing with him.

"I guess I'm just reconsidering there even being a 'Team Arrow'," Oliver said. "In the beginning, it was just me…maybe that's what it should go back to."

"I thought we didn't use the term 'Team Arrow'," Roy spoke up.

Oliver noticed that Roy and Sara had stopped sparring and had turned their attentions towards his conversation with Diggle. As he thought about them, it really just told him that he was only fooling himself if he thought that 'Team Arrow' could just be the Arrow. He couldn't do it competently on his own. Sara was back in Starling City because he'd called her…and now she needed somewhere to put her skills to good use. And then there was Roy… He really had never intended when he unwittingly made Roy his number one fan that he'd ever take him under his tutelage.

"Felicity does," Diggle spoke up.

Felicity did.

Felicity…

Oliver closed his eyes for a moment and he could picture her sitting in her computer chair there in the Foundry doing what she did best. He wanted to smile, but he felt horrible. What he'd done… He'd sent her away… He'd pushed her out of his world…their world… How could she even forgive him? Even if he could allow himself to ask her for her forgiveness?

He couldn't.

She deserved better.

. . .

TBC…


	6. A Night Outor In?

"Lunch?"

"Barry, I—"

"Look, we go through this every day when I ask you to come to lunch with me," Barry said quickly before she could argue further. Felicity obviously needed to learn to talk faster. "And every day I have to explain to you that I get that you don't want to be in a relationship with or aren't ready for one…whatever the reason, but I'd just rather not eat alone…" He paused for a moment. She didn't interrupted. "And I promised Diggle that I'd keep an eye out for you, which means not having to tell him that you're locking yourself away down here in your cave and not eating lunch…"

"I just—"

"You can talk at me, if you like," he offered. "You can vent… I'm sure there's something that's bothering you from your job."

"How did you know?"

He laughed. "We all have something to vent about our jobs…"

"I suppose at least I don't have a room that's out to get me," Felicity rambled. Her eyes widened suddenly as she realized how horrible that sounded. His laughter hit her ears before she could apologize. She looked up at him and just smiled. He really had been trying to be a good friend and she hadn't been making it easy on him at all. Felicity knew that. She knew that she'd taken her frustrations with Oliver out on him, but her world just seemed so dark and as much as she wanted to wallow he wouldn't let her.

"See…there's an upside," Barry told her.

His smile was always so genuine. Sometimes she hated how cheerful he seemed, but right now it was a bit contagious. "Can we talk about doing something fun later?"

"Fun? Really?" he asked. He seemed impressed. "I figured you were just going to angrily stab your salad again."

"Oh no, we're going out for burgers," Felicity told him as she got up from her desk. "And then we're going to discuss ways to brighten this cave of mine…"

Barry just nodded and pressed his lips together. "We can do that, but I warn you…my degree is not in interior decorating."

Felicity beamed at him as she walked towards him. "I'm fairly sure that they'd frown upon me painting these walls with a cheerful color…"

"I don't know," Barry said as they walked out. "That save you did last week… You might have just earned some heads turning if you did…"

"It wasn't that big of a deal."

"Oh, it was," Barry argued with her. "They would have lost all of the digital files and all of the digital photographic evidence would have been lost or corrupted."

"Well, when you put it like that it sounds like I'm a hero."

Barry turned to her and smiled. "You are."

. . .

"Why can't we actually plan something for later?"

"I told you, I've been trying to get to bed early," Barry told her.

Felicity just stared at him. "Oooooookay…" she said slowly and then shook her head. "You know, when I said 'fun', I meant that we'd make a night of it…like past the time that the streetlights came on…" she told him with disappointment.

"The lights are on," Barry pointed out as they walked back to her apartment.

Felicity sighed. "We could watch a movie? Order Chinese?"

"I told you—"

"I know, but we were having fun, weren't we?"

"There's always tomorrow."

"Will you have a bedtime tomorrow?"

"Probably," he told her with a grin. "Blame it on the coma, I need more sleep than I used to…"

Felicity supposed that she couldn't hold that against him. It didn't make it any better, but she did understand. Barry had been in that coma for some time, there were bond to be after effects, like after shocks felt after an earthquake. She knew she couldn't push, but she had had such a good time…she just didn't want to give it up so soon.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stay out later," Barry apologized as they made it to her apartment building. His was just down the street and would only take him a few minutes to get home. His hands were thrust into his pockets and he seemed worried. Maybe he thought she was going to be upset?

"It's okay," she said finally. "Go home and sleep… We'll have to do something tomorrow," Felicity said. She leaned in and kissed his cheek. It was quick and she didn't linger. She didn't want him to get the wrong thoughts about them, but it just felt right.

"Night," he said, a smile plastered across his face.

"See you in the morning," she told him before opening the door to her building. It was sort of nice that she lived so close to him; even though it required them to do a little more than walking they were able to share a commute. He walked over every morning, she drove them, and then they came back. That's what they'd done today, but then they'd walked over to have an early dinner and explore a few shops that were down the street from them.

As Felicity made it into her apartment, she realized that she'd been in Central City one month and it was the first time that she'd probably actually genuinely smiled and had a good time. It was the first time that she'd eaten in a restaurant and since she'd been in a shop that wasn't for groceries.

Her phone rang as she pulled off her coat. She fumbled with it for a moment and then put it to her ear before looking at the caller ID, too worried that she was going to miss the call. "Smoak."

"I'm not used to you answering the phone that way."

Felicity beamed immediately. "Sorry, I was half dropping the phone and trying to pick up before it went to voicemail." She was practically bouncing. "I didn't expect to hear from you so soon."

"It's been a month."

"So, I was lying."

"I miss you, Felicity."

"Digg, you have no idea how much I miss you. I'd hug you in a blink and probably not let go for five minutes," Felicity told him.

"Do I get points if I made the trip?"

"I wish," Felicity said as she put her coat away and set her purse on the entry table. "Barry apparently has a bedtime now that he's awake from his coma…and I wasn't quite ready to call it a night… I'd love you here to have dessert with…and I'd happily suffer through a movie with you."

"I think we could compromise."

"You think so, do you?" she asked as she went through her purse to make sure everything was organized in there correctly and ready for the morning.

"I'm pretty good at selecting good compromise movies—"

"I honestly would just be happy to see you," Felicity admitted. She left her purse and headed into the living room area and flipped on the lamp.

"I brought 'The Italian Job', 'Ocean's Eleven', and 'Untraceable'. I figured that we should agree on at least one," Diggle told her as they continued to talk.

Felicity stopped and noticed those exact DVDs on the coffee table. Was Diggle really there? Or was this some prank that they'd manage to pull off? "Digg?"

The call went silent and then dead.

She pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it for a moment to make sure that Diggle wasn't still on the phone silent. It had gone back to the screen lock. She frowned. Felicity looked around and frowned, she still didn't see him. "Digg? You here?" Nothing. "I swear if you jump out and scare me, I'm going to kick you out… Nothing that you might have brought for dessert will get you out of it."

Nothing.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Felicity looked around again before heading over. She peered through the peephole and grinned. Pulling the door open, she practically knocked him over after flinging herself at him.

"Don't make me drop the pizza," Diggle told her as he fought to balance it.

Felicity hugged him tightly and was so overjoyed, especially because he didn't jump out of a closet or anything. "I missed you," she said and found tears falling down her cheeks and dropping onto his jacket.

"I've missed you," he told her. "Let's go inside though before your neighbors spread rumors."

"They'll probably think I'm dating you and Barry," Felicity commented as she reluctantly let him go and motioned for him to enter her apartment. Felicity shut the door and followed him in a moment later.

"Barry had text me that you were getting dinner, so I figured I'd pick myself up something," Diggle told her. "But I do have dessert in the freezer…and the selection of entertainment I promised."

"Barry knew you were going to be here?"

Diggle nodded. He set the pizza in the kitchen; Felicity was no more than a yard from him. "I wanted to make sure you weren't going to be working late."

"You really are the best."

"I'm glad that you think so," he said. "Because I don't know how long you're going to have to live here."

Felicity frowned. She hadn't been thinking about that, but she knew that he'd promised her that he'd get her home to Starling City and things back to normal. "Has he said anything more about why he sent me here?"

"No."

"You don't sound too thrilled."

"He's like a stranger, Felicity," Diggle told her. "It's not just me that thinks so. The Queens have noticed…Sara's noticed…"

"Sara?"

"She came back two weeks ago… She's been helping out."

"Oh."

"I think that Sara expected there to be some kind of relationship between him and Oliver, it sounded like they were close on the island, but he's so distant… I don't know what he's doing. It's like he's on the island, his island, all over again."

"Maybe I should come back," Felicity told him. "Maybe I can get him to talk to me."

"Maybe, but maybe you should give me a few more weeks… It doesn't seem like it's so bad here."

"It's not the same as home," she told him as she watched him eat the pizza.

"Home isn't the same without you."

. . .

TBC…


	7. The Forced Talk

"How is she?"

"I think she's better…"

"I don't know if that really says a lot and if you really sound like you believe it."

"It was her first night in three months that she wanted to go out and do something after work," Diggle explained. "Normally, she'd work at QC all day…and then we'd end up here… Do any of us really know what life outside of work is?"

"Well, work in the Foundry is a little different."

"Yeah, we have Captain Distant over there," Diggle said as he crossed arms over his chest and motioned his head in the direction of Oliver. He watched Sara look over towards him. "You know, I don't know what you two had on the island…and if you expected feelings to surface, but Sara…he's not ready."

"I know," Sara whispered. "I guess I was just hoping…and maybe it would take his mind off of things."

"The only way to get him back to normal is to get Felicity back."

"I thought that Oliver didn't—"

"I don't know why he keeps saying that," Diggle said. "But I've known him long enough to know that's not true. He misses Felicity…"

Diggle didn't know how long he could keep his mouth shut, but he also didn't know how long Oliver could keep this up. He was distancing himself from everyone. It wasn't good. Not for Oliver. Not for them. Not for the city. Not for QC. Everyone was going to suffer.

"I guess it's just hard for me to understand what's going through his head," Sara said. "He's not letting me in."

"He's not letting anyone in," Diggle countered. "That's the problem."

And it was a big problem.

Diggle didn't know what he was going to do, but he felt like he needed to do it fast. His patience and sanity were running short as far as Oliver was concerned. Team Arrow wasn't a team anymore. Oliver's distance and lack of communication was affecting everyone, but Oliver just didn't seem to see it.

"Isabel Rochev is going to be in town," Diggle told her. "If I can get him back on track with Queen Consolidated then the company's going to be taken over by Stellmoor International."

"And things here?"

"Let's face it… The closest to teamwork is when you and I agree on something."

Most of the time, he and Sara agreed on things, but not always. Most times that Roy was there, it seemed like absolute chaos. It seemed that being in the Foundry only made Roy angrier. Diggle was certain that it was because Oliver wasn't training him. He and Sara had been, but Roy had been wanting to learn to use a bow, like Oliver. Bow and arrow weren't his or Sara's realm of expertise. All Roy wanted to do was to contribute, but they'd all agreed that he needed some kind of weapon instead of just using his fists and rage.

"Yeah, I'm not really looking forward to Roy showing up in a while," Sara commented.

"We have to get through to him."

"Maybe he just needs an intervention or something."

"Oh yeah," Diggle said sarcastically. "I'm sure he'd appreciate that. Do you want to be the one to tell him?"

Sara grinned. "Okay, you're right…"

"Take Roy out with you tonight," Diggle said. "I'll talk to him then."

"Now it just sounds like I'm getting punished for something," she teased. "But I'd much rather babysit the angry kid in the red hood than Captain Distant."

"Good thing that we've agreed on that codename for him."

Sara just nodded and then looked in Oliver's direction, same as Diggle. He knew that he really was going to have his work cut out for him tonight in order to get sense knocked into him before Sara and Roy returned to the Foundry.

"You know he's sleeping even less than normal."

"I know," Diggle said with a sigh. "I had thought about attempting to sedate him before we talked, but I'm afraid he'd kick my ass even in the state he's in." He looked over at Sara and teased. "Want to double team?"

Sara shrugged. "I was going to say that we could probably get Roy to do it."

"Roy's still a little too…clumsy…"

"True…"

"He needs that sleep though," Diggle told her.

"Well, we'll wait until Roy gets here… You and I both need a syringe full of the sedative, so either one of us can get it into him," Sara said. "That way if he somehow ends up overpowering us, Roy can just come up and hug him or something and hold him still so we can stab him."

"I like your plan."

"I was hoping you would."

. . .

They hadn't needed Roy, but Diggle felt bad the moment that Oliver's body made a thud against the floor. Diggle let out a long sigh. They got him up onto a cot, which Oliver had been sleeping on. Diggle was fairly sure that at least half of the nights, Oliver spent sleeping at the Foundry. He knew that that was one of the things that needed to change.

"Okay, let's get to work," Diggle said.

"You know, he's going to be out until morning…"

"I know, though I'm thinking of giving him a second dose when it's time," Diggle told her. "Make sure he's really caught up on the sleep he needs."

"He's going to be pissed when he wakes up," Roy spoke up.

Diggle turned towards him. "I know, but he needs it."

"I'm not sure how to feel about being part of this team all of the sudden."

Sara smirked. "Just be happy that it would probably take all three of us to even think of sedating you for any reason…"

"He's going to be okay, right?" Roy asked and looked between them.

Diggle shrugged. "I think it depends. He's not the only one who needs Felicity back," he said. "I think that Oliver was right before… We sort of have to decide where Team Arrow goes from here…"

Felicity.

He smiled a little at the memory of how she'd admitted to calling them Team Arrow. She was right, though, that's really who they were. They were Team Arrow and they needed to work together as a team. That really had fallen away the moment that Oliver had sent Felicity away.

"What about QC?" Sara questioned.

"I'll call Mrs. Queen in an hour and let her know that Oliver's at my place, that he drank too much and that it probably wouldn't be good for him to be into work in the morning," Diggle said. "I thought about saying he had the flu, but that might get her into thinking of calling a doctor… We just need to let him sleep it off and hope that he makes sense when he finally wakes up."

"You know Thea's been asking questions…" Roy brought up.

"You figure that I can figure out a way to cover for you, too?" Diggle asked, amusement in his voice.

Roy shrugged at him. "I figured that whatever you could think up would be better than what I could come up with."

Diggle walked past and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll talk to her… I'll tell her that you've been helping me to try to get Oliver back on the right back… I'll get her to know that you're helping and not doing something stupid."

"You're the best," Roy said with some enthusiasm.

"Just remember that," Diggle told him with a laugh. "And try to listen to Sara… I know you're excited to get out there tonight, but she knows a lot…"

"You'll learn too," Sara told Roy confidently. "I know you're not too thrilled with the waiting part, but you're doing better already…"

"I guess…it doesn't really seem like much," Roy said slowly.

"It'll be great in the long run," Sara told him. "I guarantee it. It's just going to take some time…"

. . .

He'd been there far too many hours. Diggle needed to go home, mainly to shower. He'd caught some sleep here and there when he knew that Oliver wouldn't wake up before he did, but he was still on high alert. It wasn't the same as sleeping soundly through the night in his own place, or at least as close to soundly as he ever got. Over sixteen hours and Oliver was still out, though Diggle had shot him up with a second dose of the sedative.

"He's still out?"

"At least he'll be well rested."

"What are you going to tell him when he wakes up and realizes that he lost a whole day because we drugged him?"

"Well, I was thinking about the truth," Diggle said honestly. "I mean, it's better we do it than he end up in the hospital in a white padded room strapped to a bed or in a car accident."

"I really just… I don't know what he'll do…"

"There'll probably be a lot of shouting," Diggle said.

Sara nodded. "I sort of want to be here for it…but then I don't…" She paused. "Maybe you could record it for me?"

Diggle smirked. "He might notice that…"

"You know, I noticed the cameras in here… They're subtle, but I saw that they're here. Did Felicity install them?" Sara asked.

He nodded. "At Christmas, Oliver almost died…and he was hallucinating or seeing ghosts… We came back and the place was destroyed… She installed them after that. She'd kept worrying that they'd come back and something similar would have happened, but with Oliver hurt or unconscious and we needed to know what had happened even if Oliver couldn't tell us."

"Smart."

"She is…"

"I miss her."

Diggle looked over her; he was a little surprise to hear her say that. He knew that Sara didn't dislike her or anything, but she'd not voiced missing Felicity before now. "I didn't think you'd miss her so much."

"Because I can use the computers a little better than you?" Sara teased. Though, she was right. Sara was faster than he was, but Felicity was still better at it. It was Felicity's world and it made it so much more difficult without her there. "But in all seriousness, I do miss her. She's adorable…and she's probably the most normal of all of us…"

He cracked a smile. "That's true."

Sara opened her mouth to speak again, but froze when Oliver's groan filled the room. "Text me and let me know what happened," she said quickly as she turned and headed for the stairs.

"Coward," Diggle called. He sucked in breath and hoped that this worked out better than they were all hoping for. He really needed it to. He had no idea what would happen if this continued on longer than it already had.

. . .

"How are you feeling?"

"Less…angry…"

"It's the tea," Diggle teased.

"Then I should have drank this months ago…"

Diggle wondered if Oliver really did feel like that or if he was just saying that in hopes of not getting attacked and drugged by the people he called friends and teammates. They'd done it for his own well being and for the well being of so many others. "Now that we've gotten past WHY I sedated you, can we go into what we really need to talk about?"

"Like what?" Oliver asked.

"Why you sent Felicity away."

"I told you why."

"You bullshitted me," Diggle flat out told him. Did Oliver really think he was that stupid? Diggle knew when there was something going on. "Did you really think that I agreed to help you send her away and break her heart like that if I didn't think that there was either something else going on with you or you had some kind of head injury?"

"I'm sure you're still hoping it's a head injury," Oliver mumbled.

"Damn right if the answer you gave me is all that you're going to give me."

"Digg—"

"Oliver, you've always been able to talk to me. I'm always the one that people talk to…" he said. "You've told me things about the island that you haven't spoken to Felicity about… I've kept your secrets… Why don't you think you can confide in me now? Don't you think I'll understand? Or do you think that I'll find too many holes in it?"

He didn't know if pushing the matter would help or not, but at this point he didn't care. He wanted Felicity back. She needed to come back. They needed it as a team. Oliver needed to see that and he needed to open his mouth and let him in on the big secret to why he had to have Felicity sent away. Diggle really didn't want to have to come up with a more complex plan in order to get the reason out of him. He was fairly sure that Oliver wouldn't appreciate him pushing in any other way.

"It's not that," Oliver said.

"Then what is it?"

Oliver looked right at him. "Do you ever think that what we're doing isn't worth it?"

"No."

"I mean worth it for us? You hardly get to see Lyla… We're always having to lie to people… I seem to put everyone in danger as Arrow or Oliver Queen…"

"You know what I think about? Carly and my nephew. I tell myself that no matter how dangerous it is for me personally, that we'll have made things better for them. Now that could be taking Veritgo off the streets or getting rid of one more bad guy."

"I just don't know if I can keep doing this."

"So, you're going to resign as the Arrow and just stick to running Queen Consolidated? Are you going to throw in the towel and just go back to dating Laurel…or Sara?"

"What?"

"That's what you're saying… You want to be like everyone. Normal. Well, I hate to break it to you, but if you're going to do that, Oliver…then you're not the man that I followed in the first place. You're going to be the spoiled college dropout that left on the Queen's Gambit who dated both Lance sisters."

"I didn't exactly date Sara—"

"You're digging the hole deeper."

"I'm just saying…"

"Are you trying to tell me that after all those years on the island? After being the Hood…the Arrow…that you've decided that that's what you want?" Diggle pushed.

"No," Oliver whispered.

Diggle watched as Oliver ran his hands over his face. "Do you want me to go back to being your bodyguard and driver? Do you expect Felicity to just be happy and somehow get her to fall in love with Barry? I can tell you that I don't see that happening… She's still pretty miserable, so if you were planning on her being happy and marrying him and having kids, your plan backfired. Do you want Sara to just hang around and figure out a day job? Do something normal? Make peace with Laurel and bake cookies? Do you want Roy to go out into that world and just try to keep him calm? Think about how safe that'll be for Thea… I don't see your sister giving up on him so easily."

He sucked in a breath when he finally finished his lecture. He just wanted to put it all out there. Did Oliver really understand how much he impacted people? It wasn't just the Glade or Starling City… They were all affected in some way. Didn't he see that? It was common sense as far as he was concerned.

"I made a deal…" Oliver said in barely a whisper.

"With who?" Diggle pushed.

"Slade…"

"When Felicity left you alone in that warehouse?"

Oliver nodded as his hand fell from his face. "I didn't want to… I wanted to die, but all I could think was that if Slade killed me…he might not stop there…"

"What was your deal? For you to send Felicity away?"

"When I was laying there…Felicity covered me with her body… She told Slade to kill her instead… She said that she loved me," Oliver said quietly.

Diggle watched him; it was like he was in some sort of trance. He wondered if he remembered it so vividly that it was like he was reliving it right then and there. "What did Slade say?"

"That he'd kill everyone I loved or cared about… Everyone… My family, Felicity, you, Roy…the Lances…" Oliver said. He looked right at Diggle. "He said he'd let everyone live, but that I'd have to pay for it in another way…without giving my life…"

"What did you give up?"

"My heart…the one person who's been honest and loved me through everything since I've met her… She's never given up on me, Diggle… She would have given up her life for me right there…"

"You would give up your life for her," he pointed out.

"I couldn't die or live with the thought of Felicity being killed because of me," Oliver told him. "Slade knew that it would be harder for me… So, I sent her away… I distanced myself from her immediately because I didn't think I could do it later…"

"You could have told us—"

"No," Oliver interrupted and sighed. "She would have argued and she would have never have left…"

"You can't keep this up," Diggle told him. "You're distancing yourself from everyone."

"It's the only way that I can think to keep everyone safe…and to punish myself for what I've done… All the pain I've caused…"

"I'm glad that you've got this whole martyr thing down, but can we be serious?" Diggle asked. "Let's go after Slade…"

"Slade could take on the whole team."

"We have Roy now…"

"Roy isn't trained," Oliver argued. "He has no discipline. He's too much of a liability."

"Well, I can tell you that Sara and I working with him isn't helping as much as it would for him to train with you," Diggle told him. "You're the one who has more experience and you're his mentor."

"I just… I don't think it's the best idea," Oliver told him.

"I promised Felicity that I was going to knock some sense into you and get her home," Diggle told him honestly. He stared at Oliver. "I'm going to keep my promise and it's not going to take another three months…"

"I didn't learn how to use the bow overnight," Oliver pointed out.

Diggle shrugged. "I think that he's already been working… You've got him to focus a bit more… Now, we just have to take advantage of the three of us to be here to train him… You need to get your head in the game."

"Digg, I just think that Felicity—"

"If you're going to say that Felicity's better off in Central City, I'm going to punch you."

Oliver stared at him for a long time. "She's really not happy?"

"Did you not hear me before?"

"I made sure—"

"Felicity doesn't care about all of that, Oliver," Diggle said quickly. "She's not materialistic… Does she like having some extra money? I'm sure. Look at the clothes she started to wear when she became your assistant… Does she like her apartment? Sure. Does she like her new car? Yes. But is money and things more important to her than someone she cares about? No. You know that, Oliver."

He was quiet.

Diggle just watched him. He wondered if Oliver was understanding this. He was hoping that he was feeling a little stupid. "You said that she told Slade that she loves you… Do you really think that she's going to decide to be with Barry so easily?"

"No," Oliver said slowly. "I just—"

"I know you were trying to set her up with this perfect new life," Diggle said. After all, he'd done all the setting up. Felicity had gone to Central City with a new job, new apartment, new car, an allowance, and a friend. "Felicity just isn't happy with it… She was happy here… It's not just you that she misses… She misses her whole life here…" Diggle was quiet for a moment. "I miss her… You miss her… Sara misses her… I'm fairly sure that even Roy misses her…"

"Whenever I would close my eyes…all I could see was her above me, crying and trying to keep me safe," Oliver confessed. "And then her face when I told you to make sure she went home instead of to the hospital…"

"I really hope that she hits you when she gets back," Diggle told him.

"She can't come back…not now…"

"You need to get yourself together," Diggle said. "We need to make a plan. Figure out where Slade is and what his plan is. We need to train Roy… We need to come up with an effective attack plan…" He paused. "But we have to get things situated with Queen Consolidated too," Diggle explained. "Because Felicity is going to be pissed if she comes back and finds out that she has to help you save QC from Isabel Rochev and Stellmoor International again. Walter can only do so much…"

"I know," Oliver said and rubbed his face again.

Diggle wondered if he felt overwhelmed. It was tough, though. He didn't feel bad about it. Oliver had to get his head back in the game. He needed to figure it all out and they needed to work on it. "You still have a team…"

"Do I?"

"As long as you're not going to go back to being Captain Distant."

"Captain Distant?"

"It's your nickname," Diggle said.

"I think I prefer Arrow…"

"Well, you really haven't been being Arrow… So, work on it and we'll go back to calling you that instead."

Oliver smirked.

"So," Diggle said after a moment of silence between them. "Are we going to do this?"

"Where do we start?"

. . .

TBC…


	8. New Hobby

Without someone to help her occupy her evenings, Felicity had found herself a hobby. She was actually surprised that no one had found her. Of course, she was Felicity Smoak, and she was awesome. Felicity just had to take it as that for the reason why she was still flying under the radar.

"Seriously, I don't know who's vigilante-ing around here…but they need to get organized," Felicity said as she stared at her computer screen. Originally, she'd just had her tablet at home, but had branched out to a full system and three screens on top of having her tablet. She needed the screens and she needed the extra power that came with the actual tower. She'd also bought a disposable cell phone and a voice modulator.

She'd noticed that someone was out there though and had tried to capture images on cameras, but had only caught blurs… There were no good images of whoever was doing it. She didn't know what to think. She had first thought that maybe it was Oliver because whoever was doing it was leaving the bad guys for the cops to find. They were alive. There were no arrows, though. She'd also called Diggle on one occasion when she knew that he'd be at the Foundry, she'd heard Oliver in the background and Diggle had told her that he wasn't going out. Sara had been doing all the vigilante-ing and Felicity knew that she'd definitely be able to catch the Canary on camera if it was Sara.

This was something fairly new. At first, she was just hacking into the police system and city camera system, quite easily, and just to observe. Watching didn't last long though. Though Felicity knew that she could never go out and do anything physically, she knew that she could do the best she could do from a technological standpoint. At first, it had just been an experiment to see if she could really do it and make a difference, but then she'd figured out how to best do it.

It reminded her a lot of when she'd first joined Team Arrow…back before Oliver went by the Arrow. All she did was look up information for Oliver for the people on the lists and he'd go after those particular people. In a way, Felicity had a list of her own. She was trying her best to blackmail them into either turning themselves in or doing the right thing. It wasn't easy, but she was proud of herself with what she'd done so far.

Most of the bad guys that she was going after were people were normal people who had stolen money or who was just doing something wrong. None of them were important in the city. Money laundering and scams were basically it. In most cases, Felicity knew that she could technically hack into the banks and move the money herself, but that wasn't the point of what she was doing. Plus, she was sure that there would definitely be an alert out for a hacker then… She was giving people the option to do the right thing. That's all she wanted, for people to do the right thing.

Her phone rang and she looked down at it. She smiled a little. She missed him. She should be home and doing this at the Foundry instead of at her apartment. She answered the call and held up the phone to her ear. "Hey Digg," she said happily.

"I was just checking in on you."

"You're worrying a lot."

"I can't keep an eye on you myself—"

"Which means that Barry said something—"

"I didn't say that," Diggle argued.

"What did he say?"

"That you've been tired… He was worried that you were keeping yourself up crying or something," Diggle confided.

Felicity sighed and shook her head. "He really needs to—"

"He's just worried about you, Felicity," Diggle said quickly. "I asked him to keep an eye on you because I can't."

"Because I'm stuck here in Central City!" Felicity snapped. She slammed the pen she'd been twirling down on the table in front of her and closed her eyes. She hadn't meant to take her frustrations out on Diggle. He didn't deserve it. "I'm—"

"It's okay…"

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she held them back. She couldn't shield the heartbreak in her voice though. "I just want to come home," she whispered.

"You know I want you home," Diggle told her. "And I'm working on it… I'm trying to make it safe."

"Safe?"

"Safe."

"From who?"

"I can't talk to you about that now."

Felicity opened her eyes and stared at her computer. Why was he keeping things from her? Her fingers flew across the computer as softly as she could as she tried to hack the network in Starling City in the Foundry. Diggle wasn't one to purposely keep something like that from her.

"Why not?" she pushed as she continued to type furiously.

"We're working on it," Diggle said. "And I'm hoping it means I can come out there soon to help you box everything up."

"But I still get to keep my car, right?" she asked. She was just trying to keep him on the line while she hacked. It really wasn't necessary, but she'd much rather talk to Diggle than use the voice modulator to get some guy to do what was right. She missed him. She missed her family. She wanted to go home.

When her screens suddenly came up with camera angles from the Foundry, she sat back in her chair and just stared in silence. It was real time and the tears finally fell from her eyes.

"Of course," Diggle responded.

"Wha-what?"

"Felicity, are you okay?"

"Yeah…I'm just…I'm watching a Lifetime movie…" she blurted out. It was the best reason she could think of for randomly crying. "I swear this channel probably pushes out hormones or something… It can force anyone to cry at will…"

Diggle laughed and she smiled at the sound.

"I really wish I was there with you…"

She reached out and touched Diggle's picture on the screen as he talked to her. At least he looked okay. Oliver was there too, but she was having a hard time looking for him. Maybe it was because she was still upset about everything that had gone on… He had just sent her away. He was looking better, though, she hadn't missed that. He was training Roy. Oliver and Sara were training him. Felicity wondered if they would even want her back when Diggle finally convinced Oliver to let her come home.

Would it even matter?

"You're always here with us."

"It doesn't feel like that."

"Believe me, sometimes it doesn't either…and then someone says something that I know you'd be proud to hear someone use your 'Team Arrow' name or something like that."

She beamed. "Really?"

"I promise."

It made her feel better, but not a whole lot.

"You're going to be home soon," Diggle promised. "Let's just take it one day at a time…and try not to worry Barry too much…"

"He worries too much," Felicity explained. "I slept far less when I was working QC and the Foundry."

"Maybe," Diggle responded. "But that doesn't mean it's good for you."

"Promise me that if I don't get to come home in the next two weeks that either you come out here to visit or I get to come see you," Felicity requested. Diggle was part of her family and she really missed her family…all of them. She missed the place she called home. She also missed all the things that she'd left behind in Starling City that she didn't think she'd need or want. Well, she wanted them.

"I promise."

"Thank you."

"Now get some sleep."

"I will, right after this movie is over," Felicity lied. In truth, there was one call she needed to make and two accounts she needed to tag before bed. Diggle really didn't need to know about that.

"Miss you, Felicity," Diggle said. "I'll see you soon."

"Miss you. See you soon," she echoed. "Bye."

"Bye."

She stared at the Foundry cameras on her screen for a moment longer as she set her phone down in front of her. She switched the screen and started to go to work. Diggle was at work in Starling City; well she needed to do some of her own in Central City.

. . .

TBC…


	9. One Team

Ever since they'd decided on their plan to find Slade and eliminate him as a threat so that Felicity could come home, Oliver had been working like he hadn't ever worked before. He was actually sleeping and he was pushing himself. It wasn't just at the Foundry, but at QC too. He knew that he had to be dedicated and serious if this was going to work. He still wasn't sure if it would.

"You know, I would understand if you didn't want to be apart of this," Oliver said.

"I'm not running away."

"I didn't mean it like that."

"We have a long history, Ollie," Sara said. "Things might be complicated between us sometimes, but I see things very clearly right now."

He turned and looked at her. She was staring at him and she was smiling. He was confused. Roy would be there at any minute and he just thought she was acting odd. "You do?"

"Things are complex because of Slade," Sara told him. "But you, Oliver Queen, you're simple right now."

Oliver continued to stare at her. "I don't think you're making any sense."

"I'm going to help you with Slade," Sara said. "And we're going to get Felicity home. Simple enough for you?"

He just nodded. He was still confused at her words before. He pushed the thoughts aside when he heard the door at the top of the stairs open. It was either Roy or Diggle…or both. They needed to get to work. He'd already been there for an hour and had done most of his workout and then some. Diggle had texted him about bringing food though and he'd definitely worked up an appetite.

"Did you find anything new on Slade?"

"No," Sara said. "Whenever I think I find him, it disappears… It's like he's a ghost."

Oliver sighed. It was frustrating. Whenever he felt like they'd have Felicity back by the weekend, months would be added to that estimate.

"Felicity would have figured it out," Sara said. "You know, maybe we could have her help."

"Slade could be watching her," Oliver responded. "I didn't want to put her at risk."

"Digg's already been talking to her… He's gone to Central City, how is that different?"

"He wasn't working this case," Oliver pointed out. They looked over to see Diggle and Roy standing there.

"Ollie—"

"It's too dangerous."

"What's too dangerous?" Roy asked.

"Letting Felicity help track down Slade," Sara spoke up.

Oliver was sure that she was hoping that Diggle would take her side and argue that it was a good plan. He noticed that Diggle didn't seem to be too keen on getting in on their conversation though. "What do you think, Digg?" he asked, a bit reluctantly. He really hadn't wanted to pull him into it if he wasn't offering up his opinion freely, but at the same time…Diggle was the voice of reason.

"I think that Oliver's right," he spoke up.

"Do you really think that Slade's watching her?" Sara questioned.

"I learned long ago to never underestimate him," Oliver told her.

. . .

"It's going to take too long," Oliver said as he watched Roy practice. He was learning how to use the bow, but it takes time and he knew that… He was just suddenly feeling impatient.

"He's getting better," Diggle said evenly.

"Ollie's right," Sara spoke up. "The longer that Slade is out there, the more dangerous it is for all of us… Slade might have spared you, Digg, and Felicity for the moment…but that doesn't mean he might not change his mind…even if you stick to the deal you made with him—"

"Did you tell everyone?" Oliver asked as he turned to Diggle.

"Really? We were worried about you," Diggle defended. "I only told Sara. It's not like I went and told Roy and then tweeted about it."

"I thought we're supposed to be a team," Sara joined in.

"We—" Oliver started.

"Now's the time to decide the fate of this team," Diggle spoke up.

They really were teaming up on him. Sara and Diggle were dangerous together, especially when they were both of the same mindset. When had this happened? Oliver sighed. He knew that they were right though.

"We're a team," Oliver said finally.

"Then can we start acting like it?" Diggle asked. "Startling with that we don't keep secrets?"

"Agreed," Sara spoke up.

"How about actually getting over here and training me?" Roy suggested.

Oliver looked over and noticed that Roy was just staring at them. He'd brought Roy into the fold, but the truth was that he wasn't ready. He really didn't know how long it would be until he was really truly ready, but in all honesty…he didn't know if they could wait that long. At one time, there had been a point in his life where he wasn't ready with what he was face with, but he made it…he learned…he got better. Roy would too.

He just needed time.

Oliver just didn't want to wait that long.

. . .

"I'm impressed…and that's not easy to do."

Oliver looked up from his desk and sighed. He had been hoping to avoid her. That never worked out for him. She always found him, especially when he didn't want her to. He found her standing right in front of his desk, hands on her hips with a rather mischievous grin on her face. Her dress hugged her body like everything she wore did. She would always try to take their relationship back to that moment they had in Russia, but he'd always reject her.

"All I care about is that Queen Consolidated's numbers are there," Oliver replied evenly.

"Come on, Oliver," Isabel said as she perched on the edge of his desk. "All work…"

"Is that all you wanted, Isabel? I have work to complete before I need to be out of here," Oliver said trying to show as little interest in her as possible. He really did need her to leave; her presence was a distraction that he couldn't have right now. He had his day planned out a certain way and her nagging him was only going to put him behind on where he needed to be.

Queen Consolidated had to have his attention as much as the Foundry and Team Arrow needed in the evening. He'd been striving to ensure that the company was flourishing and taking advice from Walter…and even his mother when needed. Oliver just wanted the company to do well. That was it. That was all that he needed at the moment.

"I noticed that you don't have someone out there at that desk," Isabel said as she motioned towards 'Felicity's desk'.

He didn't look directly at the desk, but knew what she was getting at. "I haven't hired someone else."

"You're the CEO, Oliver—"

"It's not necessary at the moment," he argued.

"You need an assistant."

"I've been doing just fine without one for the time being," Oliver countered as he pulled out a file and started to look it over. He really needed to get through the stack of paperwork he had on his desk in the next hour or so and he wasn't going to be able to do that with Isabel harassing him.

"Maybe I could hire you one."

"That's…kind of you to offer," he said slowly. He was trying to choose the correct words in order to deal with her. "But I am finding things working just fine for me at the moment without an assistant."

"Didn't you fire her?"

Oliver sighed and looked up at her again. "Yes, what are you getting at?"

"You know that I'm here, Oliver," Isabel said as she got down from his desk. Her hands planted on either side of his file before she leaned over.

He kept his eyes on her face. "I appreciate your support, Isabel, but I'm managing."

"Sometimes we all need one on one help," Isabel continued. "In private."

"I said I was managing," Oliver said slowly.

Someone cleared their throat and Oliver looked over to see Diggle standing there. He was happy to see his friend there. Diggle knew how Isabel was and most of the time, Diggle didn't go far. In truth, he'd been helping him with QC business. Oliver needed help, but he didn't need it from Isabel.

"Am I interrupting, Mr. Queen?" Diggle asked.

Oliver shook his head. "Absolutely not, Mr. Diggle," he responded. He looked back to Isabel. "Ms. Rochev and I were done…"

"Your next meeting," Diggle said as he motioned to his watch.

"Right," Oliver said.

"Fine," Isabel said before making herself scarce.

Oliver waited until he knew for sure that she was gone and not coming back. He turned to Diggle. "What meeting?"

"Employee review," Diggle said as he sat down on Oliver's couch. "How am I doing?"

Oliver smiled at him. "Saving the day."

"I'm assuming that means I get high marks across the board," Diggle said before putting his feet up.

"Oh, you are…"

For the first time since he'd gone back to work at QC, Oliver looked directly at the desk outside of his office. Felicity's desk. It was still hers, no matter what. That's why he didn't need anyone else to sit there. He didn't need anyone. No one would be good enough. She was the right fit. She was the perfect fit. Oliver didn't know how they'd managed this far, but he knew that if Felicity had been there that so much more would have been done. Oliver found himself appreciating her more and more every minute of every day.

"You are…" he whispered as he continued to stare at her desk.

He missed her.

Oliver was going to get her back.

No matter what.

Felicity was coming home.

. . .

TBC…


	10. Should Have Stayed Home

This was the stupidest, most dangerous thing she'd done since arriving in Central City. Stupid, it was really stupid…and dangerous. Felicity had her back pressed up against a wall in an alley. She didn't even know how you explained where you were to the police if something happened. Felicity was starting to panic. This really was a stupid idea.

"Should've stayed home," she chastised herself. "You're not a hero…"

Felicity sucked in a deep breath and peeked from where she'd flattened herself. No one was within eyesight. So, before she could rethink what she was doing she hurried down the alley. She really needed a pair of boots or actual shoes rather than heels. Felicity was thinking that it was going to be more likely that she broke an ankle in those things with the alley being riddled with imperfections in the slimy and wet blacktop.

She made it to the back entrance of the warehouse where she needed to be inside and hidden before the bad guys arrived. She'd been good about letting stuff go that required her to leave her home and she'd send the information anonymously to the Central City Police Department, but not this time. Felicity just couldn't risk it.

Not this time.

She hadn't thought that far ahead. Now that she was inside, where was she going to hide? Felicity looked around and finally found a secure spot to hide. She carefully placed a thin pipe between the metal doorframe and the door; it was just big enough to keep it propped open so that she could hear.

More time passed than she'd thought would before they finally arrived. Felicity found it much harder to keep still and to feel like she was being quiet enough once they were there. She was second-guessing the intelligence of her plan. The only problem with her original plan of calling the police and tipping them off was that she was afraid that there would be too many casualties…including the person that she wanted to keep safe.

Felicity listened from her spot as they talked. Occasionally she'd peer out, but so far she hadn't seen her reason for venturing out from the safety of her own home.

"I'm telling you, we need to do this now."

"We should wait until they pay the ransom. Leave the body at the meeting spot."

"These people deserve WORSE."

"What's worse than killing their kid?"

"Never know if the kid is really dead or alive."

Felicity really hated to listen to what she was listening to, but worse of all she could see the little girl they were talking about killing only six feet away from her. There were at least six of them, but there could be more outside. She couldn't be sure.

What was she going to do?

The little girl was six years old and her name was Ava Warren. Her parents were both doctors and the Warren family was very well off. Felicity had been hacking phone calls, text messages, e-mails, instant messages, social media sites, and chat rooms in the area for certain keywords. Apparently the head bad guy in this operation wanted revenge on Doctor Andrew Warren because he blamed him for the death of his son and the suicide of his wife shortly thereafter. She'd seen the medical files, police files, and any other investigation that had been done. Doctor Warren had done everything in his ability to save the boy.

It hadn't been enough.

That was all.

Nothing more.

"Let's just do it! I'm sick of hearing her cry! That's all she does!"

This only made the little brunette cry more. Ava was crying into the bandana gag while she shook her head, making the brown curls bounce about. She was pulling her arms and legs against the bonds, but it didn't help any.

She knew that she had to get Ava out of there. Felicity knew that there was no way she could go up against six men, one was questionable enough. She'd already been going through what Diggle and Oliver had taught her as far as self defense went in her head. What she really needed was a distraction. If they left the warehouse or were distracted away from Ava, then maybe she could make it the six feet to the chair and get her back to the hiding spot.

Turning to the small backpack she'd brought in with her, Felicity opened it and started to see if there was anything that she could use as a distraction. She'd packed her keys, cell phone, tablet, knife, Swiss army knife, flashlight, rope, first aid kit, gum, granola bar, and a water bottle. She was certain that there were other things she should have packed, but at the time that was all that had really made sense to her. Nothing that could really be used as a distraction in there. Felicity opened up her tablet and tapped into the surrounding power grid. She shut down the power to the building and the surrounding two blocks. Nothing important would be affected.

What would Oliver do?

She knew what he'd do. He'd go right in there and handle all six of them on his own. She wasn't that skilled. What she wouldn't give for one of his exploding arrows for a distraction right now…or maybe Oliver's fighting skills. At this moment, either would be a massive improvement.

Gunshots rang outside and it seemed like this was her chance. The men had their backs turned and their attention was on whatever might be going on beyond the warehouse walls. Felicity grabbed the knife before carefully and quietly easing out of her hiding spot. Running to the chair, she crouched down behind in and immediately started to cut at the bonds. She didn't remove the gag, though. Felicity checked and noticed in the dark that some of the bad guys had gone out the door while the others were definitely still distracted as gunshots kept going off. The screaming wasn't helping Felicity to feel like they were safe. She grabbed Ava and dragged her back into the hiding spot, but when the little girl started to struggle with her, she fell backwards into her hiding spot.

The door wasn't as loud as she feared as she watched in horror was it closed. The piece of pipe had been dislodged. It darkened quite a bit though. Felicity let Ava go and scrambled for the flashlight. She turned it on and shined it in Ava's direction. "I'm here to help," Felicity said quickly. "We have to be quiet."

Ava moved to a corner of whatever they were in. Felicity realized at that moment that she didn't even know what they were in, just that they were most likely stuck since it had looked like it locked from the outside. She had been so careful with that pipe… It was water under the bridge now, but Felicity didn't dare try to open that door or mess with it with the bad guys still outside. She didn't know what had been going on outside and she didn't think it was safe at all.

She watched as Ava removed the bandana and cried in the corner. Felicity was going to say something, but Ava was being quiet enough. She sighed and went through her backpack. She picked out the water and granola bar before moving over to her with the flashlight. Felicity didn't get too close but left the flashlight, so that it was pointed upward towards the ceiling and set the water bottle and granola bar in front of it so that Ava could see them. She moved away and sat closer to the door. She just hoped that she'd be able to hear if there was trouble or if someone tried to get in.

Felicity smiled when Ava took the offered items and began opening the granola bar. She started to take in their surroundings and realized that it could be worse. It looked like they were in some kind of refrigeration or freezer unit. Obviously, it wasn't currently in use…but she didn't know if she needed to start to worry about the amount of air in the space.

Barry.

She moved to grab her backpack and then slowly pulled it over to where she'd taken up listening. She pulled out her cell phone and tablet. Felicity frowned at her tablet and cell phone screens as they both told her the same thing. No signal. She'd had signal before… Of course, she'd had signal before when the door was open just a crack…maybe that had just been enough. She'd been thinking that she could just text Barry and let him know what was going on…maybe he could put in a call to the police and make sure that she and Ava got out. Now that wasn't an option.

"On to Plan B…or C…" she muttered to herself.

Using her cell phone on flashlight mode, she started to look over the door to see if there seemed to be a way to get out once she felt like it was safe for them. So far, she saw no way out from the inside. Felicity tried not to panic or look like she was panicking… She didn't need Ava freaking out after she'd just managed to calm her down.

Breathe, Felicity.

She knew that Barry would know she was missing in the morning when he showed up at her apartment and she wasn't there. That meant that she and Ava would have to remain calm and relatively quiet in the meantime. Felicity looked over at her, she seemed okay enough given the circumstances. She just didn't know if she'd last until Barry figured out where they were, IF he figured it out.

So, she continued to look around. She was determined to at least act like she was actively looking for a way out. Felicity knew that it was a long shot that she was going to be able to get them out without outside help, but she needed to look.

Twenty minutes later, Felicity was pretty sure that they were screwed. At least it seemed to be quiet outside the door. That was a plus. Ava had moved next to her and was just sitting there quietly. "Someone's coming for us," she finally spoke up quietly.

"Who?" Ava asked just as quiet.

"A hero."

. . .

TBC…


	11. Barry versus Oliver

Oliver had felt like the world was almost back on track. Almost. He hated going past her desk or looking that way, but then he'd remind himself that he was going to get her back. Oliver knew that it wouldn't be easy. What if she liked it in Central City despite what Diggle said? What if she'd grown even more fond of Barry Allen? He wasn't a bad guy, Oliver knew that. That's why he sent her away to Central City… He knew that Barry Allen was a good guy and that he'd take care of her, whether they had a relationship or not. Barry—

The sound of his phone ringing interrupted his thoughts and the caller ID told him that perhaps Barry Allen's ears were burning. He stared at it for a long moment. Why had he called him? As far as he knew, Diggle talked to him. That was that. Scary thoughts hit him suddenly as worse case scenerios popped into his head and that phone was at his ear. "What happened?"

"Oliver? It's me, Barry Allen."

"Is Felicity okay?"

That was all that he wanted to know. He wanted to make sure that she was okay and that was what he wanted and needed to hear right now. Why else would he call? Call him? He could hear Barry trying to speak, but it was just jumbled starts of a sentences.

"Barry! Where's Felicity?"

"I don't know," Barry finally blurted out.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Oliver asked as he immediately got to his feet. He grabbed his jacket and pulled it on before motioning to Diggle the moment he came into view. "When was the last time you saw her?"

"After work yesterday," Barry admitted. "I left her at her apartment and walked home. When I showed up there this morning, she's not home."

"How do you know that she's not there?"

"No car and I checked. I have a key."

Oliver took a moment to swallow to collect himself. "Oh…"

"Look, maybe it's nothing… I've been calling her and it goes right to voicemail. Her tablet isn't here… Those things she never leaves without…" Barry sounded upset and Oliver could tell from the tone of his voice that he blamed himself. Felicity was a grown woman and it came down to them just loving her so much, that's why they blamed themselves for things like that. "I was just hoping that she had driven to Starling City and was with you…"

"Let me ask Diggle if he's heard from her," Oliver said before covering the phone.

Diggle was setting the coffees on the edge of Oliver's desk. "Who?"

"Felicity."

"I haven't talked to her in days…"

"She's missing," Oliver said quite seriously.

"Is that Barry?" Diggle questioned.

"We need to go," Oliver told him without waiting for a response. He uncovered the phone again. "We're on our way."

"Oliver, I—"

"She's going to be okay," he said. "We're leaving now. We'll be there as soon as we can."

The phone was in his pocket and he was walking with a purpose. He needed to get out of that building and make it out to Central City as soon as he could.

. . .

"You know, maybe I should drive…"

"I'm fine."

"I don't know if I'm going to be able to hold breakfast down."

Oliver looked over at Diggle and then at the speedometer. He eased his foot from the gas to the brake. He was suddenly shocked that someone hadn't pulled him over for speeding. He'd been in triple digits for at least thirty minutes. Oliver sucked in breath and suddenly felt like they were going in slow motion even though they were going ten over the limit.

"I was thinking," Oliver spoke up. "We should be pinging her cell phone…her tablet…her car…"

"Unless she doesn't want to be found," Diggle said. "Have you thought about that?"

"That's not like Felicity."

"We sent her away…as much as I'd like to think that she's broken down somewhere or…I don't even know…I think we have to face that she might not be the Felicity we sent away all of those months ago."

Diggle's voice had been incredibly calm and collected as he'd spoken. Oliver didn't like it and he didn't like what Diggle was telling him. "Slade wins if that's true…"

"You don't think Slade set this up, do you?" Diggle asked suddenly.

Oliver glanced over at Diggle before putting his eyes back on the road ahead. "I hadn't—"

"If it's Slade, then we're going to need back-up," Diggle pointed out. "We'll need Sara and Roy…"

He suddenly couldn't handle driving and pulled over. Oliver sat there behind the wheel in park, his hands on the wheel, as he just stared at the front window and tried to focus on breathing. Diggle started to say something when he launched himself out the driver's door and walked to the front of the car. He needed air. Oliver walked along the shoulder for a moment and just tried to push the thought that Diggle had just put in his head, out of it.

"Oliver?"

"I just need a minute," he said.

"What's wrong? Is it something I said?"

Oliver felt tears falling down his cheeks and then before he knew it, he was puking on the side of the highway. His hands on his knees as he hunched over. Diggle had to be wrong. Felicity just had to be lost or in a dead zone…something. Not Slade Wilson.

"Oliver!"

He spit after a moment and then straightened up. Oliver turned to Diggle, who was obviously concerned. "If Slade went after Felicity…" he said slowly. Oliver closed his eyes and tried to force himself to calm. It wasn't that easy, especially when his thoughts were where they were. "Slade wants revenge…for Shado…"

"You said before that Slade was doing this because he knew it would be worse than just killing either of you," Diggle said. "Do you really think that Slade would just get bored and go after her anyways?"

Oliver was better, not one hundred percent but he was getting close. "I don't know," Oliver admitted. "But the Mirakuru doesn't make you think clearly…"

"So, do you think it's Slade now?"

"I honestly have no idea, Diggle," Oliver told him. "But he would take her away from me… He'd take Felicity from me because…" His voice broke and he took a moment. "Because I love her like he loved Shado…and he blames me for Shado's death… I don't WANT to believe that it's Slade, but we can't put it aside as a possibility."

"She loves you, Man," Diggle told him. "And she's going to be okay… We're going to find her and bring her home. This whole two cities thing isn't working…it's making everyone more crazy."

"I know…"

. . .

"Are you sure there were no signs of where she could have gone?" Oliver questioned as Barry let them into her apartment.

"I didn't see anything odd…" Barry said.

Diggle and Oliver were in the apartment first and looking around. Diggle stopped and pointed towards the dining/kitchen table. "What's this?"

Barry shrugged. "I figured she was fixing them…or working on a project…"

"She usually uses her tablet for most things," Oliver said as they all approached. It was when he got closer that he noticed the voice modulator and the burner cell phone. He grabbed the modulator and held it up. "I think Felicity found a new hobby…"

"Is that a—"

"Let's just hope we're not going to find a green hood around here," Diggle said with a sigh. He sat in the chair and the computer screens came up with locks. He looked over at them. "Any ideas?"

"It probably has something to do with Oliver," Barry said.

"Me?" Oliver asked surprised. He just stared at Barry, but he heard Diggle trying to crack it.

"She's in love with you. That's been apparent since I met you all," Barry told him. "You don't know how lucky you are…"

"Locked out for two minutes," Diggle said. "Other ideas?"

"Did you try vigilante?" Barry suggested.

"Yes. Didn't work."

"Did you try her middle name?" Oliver asked.

"Tried that too."

"Felicity's probably put some alphanumeric fifteen digit pass code with capitals and lowercases and those weird symbols," Oliver said with a sigh. This was going to be impossible, but he was fairly sure that the computers contained information on what Felicity was working on and possibly where she was. They needed to get into it. Normally he would take something like this to Felicity, he didn't have a back-up Felicity.

"Got it!" Diggle said triumphantly.

"What was it?" Barry questioned.

"Team Arrow," Diggle said as he smiled at them.

Oliver had to admit that it made him feel pretty good to know that she used that for her password. It meant, at least he thought, that Felicity hadn't given up on them. Oliver was also hoping that this meant that Slade wasn't involved in any way. That was one topic that he was hoping to keep from bringing up. Barry Allen didn't need to know about Slade, not if it wasn't necessary.

"Crap…"

"What is it?" Oliver asked.

"She's been doing her own form of vigilante-ing here," Diggle said. "She's got a log full of wrongs that she's found a way to make them right."

Barry moved to look over Diggle's shoulder. "I know these cases…" he said as he pointed to some of them. "The police were alerted by an anonymous tip…"

"Does it give any information on what she might have been working on?" Oliver questioned. He was just hoping for clues. He wanted to make sure that Felicity was okay. Maybe she was just on one of these 'cases' of hers… Oliver just had to hope so.

"Yeah…" Diggle said slowly. "She has a note here about an Ava Warren…"

"Ava Warren…" Barry repeated.

"Does that mean anything to you?" Oliver asked.

Barry looked between them. "Ava Warren was reported kidnapped. Her parents didn't want police involvement. She's little…"

"How little?"

"Five…six…maybe…"

Diggle sighed. "So, this was something that Felicity couldn't do from here." He typed more. "It doesn't say where she might have gone in order to find the girl."

"Can we ping her car? Her phone? Her tablet?" Oliver asked. "Even if it gave us a vague location…at least it would be something."

Diggle was immediately typing. Oliver knew that it would take Diggle longer and it might not even work. He had a feeling that Felicity had the same software they used in the Foundry loaded onto these computers, so that would help them. He just hoped that she was okay and that she hadn't gotten herself into trouble.

"You can track her car?" Barry asked.

Oliver stared at him. "Did you really think that I'd buy her a new car, send her here, and not be able to find her if I needed?"

Barry stared back. "That's sort of…stalker-ish…" They continued to stare at each other. "Not that I'm judging…" Barry said finally and looked away. "I just…I hadn't expected that."

"I found her car…" Diggle said and pointed to the map. "Her tablet and cell phone are showing in the same area…"

"I know that area," Barry spoke up. He gasped and then looked around as his hand rubbed up and down his face. "Police found bad guys strung up near there…"

"Strung up?" Diggle questioned. "That's not Felicity."

"No, it's not."

"So, what does that mean?" Oliver pushed.

"She might be in trouble," Barry filled in. He started towards the door.

Oliver just stared for a moment. "Where are you going?"

"Aren't we going?"

"Yes…" Oliver said slowly. He had thought that they were going to come up with a plan first or call in back-up.

"I'll meet you there."

"Wait, I thought you didn't drive!" Diggle called as Barry opened the door.

He looked back at them. "I know a short cut. Meet me there."

Oliver and Diggle just exchanged looks as Barry was already gone. "Maybe he's still a little scared of you," Diggle offered.

"That doesn't matter," Oliver stated. "Felicity is what matters here."

"I know," Diggle confirmed. "So, let's go…save our girl."

Their girl.

His girl.

He just hoped that she forgave him.

. . .

TBC…


	12. The Rescue

Looking at her phone, she knew that it was morning. Barry should have noticed that she was missing or gone or at least not where she should be by now. She was hoping that he'd come to look for her. With no noise coming from outside of the door, she'd tried to get it open. It hadn't worked. She'd pushed and tried what looked like the remnants of a lever inside. It wouldn't budge. She'd done calculations and she was worried about air. The two of them should still be okay for at least a few more hours, but it was still worrisome.

Felicity had thought about trying to figure out how to make her phone or tablet…or both into some kind of explosive, but she doubted that it would do any good. The freezer box they were in wasn't like a newer kind; this was the kind with solid metal walls, ceiling, floor, and door… She'd have to be able to budge it between the door and the doorframe at the very least to hope to make any kind of dent or free them. There was no gap.

"Are we going to die in here?"

She turned quickly at the scared sound of little Ava's voice. "No," she told her firmly. Felicity took the time to cross the freezer and sit down with her. She wrapped an arm around the little girl. "I told you…someone's coming to save us…"

"How do I know?"

"Because I know him."

"He'll know something's wrong?"

Felicity nodded. "And he should be able to find us."

"How?"

Sighing, she was sure that all the talking was using up air, but she wasn't about to explain that to Ava. She wasn't going to scare her anymore than she already was. "He's a hero… I told you."

"Like Batman?" Ava asked.

"Except…much better than Batman," Felicity told her.

"Better…than Batman?" Ava asked in awe. "Really?"

"Really, really…"

"He's taking a long time."

"I know."

"Like…TOO long."

"You make sure you tell him that when he gets here," Felicity told her with a smile. She could only imagine his reaction to a little girl telling him that he'd taken too long in rescuing them. The truth was, Felicity had really wanted to get herself out of this mess, but she really wasn't seeing a viable way right now.

As they sat there, Felicity took in their surroundings; her eyes had adjusted to their dark environment. She wondered if there was an escape possibility that she'd overlooked. "Wait here," Felicity said as she got up.

"What are you doing?" Ava questioned.

"I'm going to try to get the door open," Felicity stated as she reached behind a shelf and pulled out a long piece of pipe. It felt sturdy enough. It took some yanking before it would finally come free. It looked like it was apart of the shelving unit, but not a critical piece…and she took it as such when the shelves didn't fall over once it was removed.

"You've tried that…a lot…like A LOT A LOT."

She turned back to look at Ava for a minute. "Well, one more time won't hurt," she told her. "Sometimes we need to save ourselves when our heroes take so long."

"He really is taking a long time."

Felicity beamed and then turned back to the door. She was determined. She was going to get them out. She could do this.

Maybe.

She positioned the pipe near the lever. Felicity was pretty sure that it was supposed to move downward. So, she put it above and tried to position it in a way that it wouldn't slip, hopefully, when she put pressure on it. She was hoping that maybe she could get enough weight to make it budge. She was certain if she got it to move just a bit that it would be enough to have loosened it so that she could turn it the rest of the way and get them out of there.

Slowly, she put pressure on it. It kept slipping and it seemed hopeless. Finally, though, it moved just a tiny bit. Felicity stared at it for a long moment as she took a moment to breathe before trying again. It was a lot harder than she'd initially expected, but at the same time…she wasn't surprised. "See, we might just save ourselves…" she said as she looked back at Ava.

"Boys take a long time."

Ava was right. Though, she really couldn't blame Barry for that. It wasn't like she spent her nights with him, like she'd spent her nights in Starling City with Oliver and Diggle. They would have noticed her disappearance a lot sooner…and she probably wouldn't have been there in the first place because the Arrow would have taken care of things. Felicity really was missing her guys all of the sudden. It didn't matter how much of a jerk Oliver could be to her, she knew who he was deep down, and she missed him terribly. She fought back tears as she wished that she could have counted on them to be there to rescue them.

Felicity sucked in a deep breath and then tried again. It took several times to finally get it down. The last push didn't require the pipe, so she dropped it to the side, and she used her full body weight on it. She wasn't sure if it would actually budge because it wasn't a full handle that she was trying to force downward. It finally moved and she heard a rather large click. She gasped at the sound.

"Did you do it?!" Ava asked and was next to her, flashlight in hand.

"You get over here," Felicity told her as she motioned to the corner. She wanted to be safe in case there were bad guys out there. She didn't want Ava in the line of fire. She waited for Ava to move and then grabbed the knife she'd brought. Carefully, Felicity held the knife as she pressed against the heavy door outward. It creaked it seemed loud enough for all of Central City to hear.

It was then that she heard a noise and she looked up to see movement before she could see faces. Instinctively, she went to defend herself (and Ava), but a hand grabbed her wrist and squeezed. She was forced to drop the knife and at the moment she realized who it was.

Oliver.

Tears fell down her face as she gasped and then punched him hard without thinking about it. "Where have you been?" she demanded.

"You took A LONG time!" Ava chimed in behind her.

Felicity turned to look over her shoulder at the little girl who was peeking out from the freezer. "It's safe… You're safe…"

"Thanks to you," Oliver told her quietly. His voice was gentle and full of mixed emotions. Felicity could see that he looked like he was barely holding it together.

"A really long, long, long time…" Ava went on.

"The police are on their way."

It was then that Felicity realized that Oliver wasn't alone. Diggle and Barry were there too. She couldn't have been happier to see them all, but she was drained. She hadn't spent any of the night sleeping. She knew that she probably should have slept an hour or two here or there, but she hadn't.

"Are you okay?" Barry asked as he crouched down and addressed Ava.

Ava nodded. "Are you the hero that was supposed to save us?" She pointed to Felicity. "She said a hero was coming to save us."

Barry smiled between Ava and Felicity. "No…" He stared at Felicity for a long moment before speaking. "She's the hero…"

"She just didn't realize it," Diggle finished.

Oliver was wrapping his arms around her and Felicity held tight. She closed her eyes as the sound of the police sirens filled her ears. She had dreamt of this. This was what she'd craved for so long now… Felicity didn't even want to talk…not yet. She knew that she really should talk to him before hugging him so freely, but she couldn't help herself. She was greedy for this contact.

"Are either of you hurt?" Barry questioned.

"No," Felicity replied quietly, her arms still wrapped around Oliver. She didn't open her eyes. She just savored it. She knew that once the Central City police arrived that she'd have to give it up. She wasn't ready yet. She didn't know if once they knew that she wasn't missing anymore, because that was the only reason she could think for them all to be there, if Oliver and Diggle would just turn and leave back to Starling City again. She didn't want to lose them again. She missed them. She missed their family.

"Can I go home?" Ava asked.

"Soon," Barry promised.

She wanted to go home.

Not to her apartment.

She wanted to go home to Starling City.

More tears fell and she sniffled against Oliver's shoulder. "Hey…" Oliver whispered as he tried to pull her back. Felicity really didn't want to be separated from the hug just yet, but she allowed it. After all, she was no physical match for fighting him in that instance. She stared right up into his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I want to go home," she barely whispered.

Felicity expected him to tell her that she couldn't. She expected him to tell her that 'it was complicated'. That really was the motto for Oliver Queen's life in general. Felicity waited for him to suddenly go cold and put on the mask that he wore sometimes. She waited for him to be the Oliver Queen that she didn't recognize.

"We have a lot to talk about," he finally replied. He was quiet still and so gentle. His face said it all though. She wasn't the only one emotional in that moment.

Felicity reached out and touched his cheek for a moment and then pulled it away when she heard the sirens right outside. Their time was up. She knew that the police would want statements and they'd have questions. She really hoped that she was going home, otherwise she was most likely out of her job at the Central City Police Department…not that she loved it.

. . .

"I just want to know, before I leave, am I going to see you before you leave?" Barry asked.

Felicity just stared at him. Did Oliver and Diggle discuss things with Barry already? Was she really going home? Did he already know? She looked between Barry and where Oliver and Diggle sat separately. She didn't know how to respond.

"Just…call me or text me…okay?" Barry asked.

She nodded and he was hugging her. Felicity wrapped her arms around him. He had kept his distance before in the warehouse and then back at the police station. She hadn't been sure if it had been because of Oliver and Diggle being there or if he was merely trying to stay professional.

"I'm glad you're okay," he told her quietly.

"I'm sorry I worried you," Felicity responded.

Barry pulled away and just smiled at her. "I should have kept you out of trouble…"

"I'll text you, I promise," she told him as he walked out the door. She watched him go for a minute before finally closing the door. Felicity turned and stared at her guys. Oliver was standing six feet behind her while Diggle was off to the one side in the living room sitting on the couch. Diggle had been keeping his distance, almost more so than Barry had been. She'd been surprised, but she figured it was because Oliver had been more…affectionate…and emotional at the warehouse than he normally would have been.

"Am I going home?" she finally asked.

"I shouldn't have sent you away," Oliver said quietly as he stared right at her.

Felicity just stared at him as he spoke, her eyes a bit wide in shock that he'd actually said that out loud. She looked to Diggle for a moment, who was obviously at least half paying attention to the conversation they were having.

"I shouldn't have sent you away before the hospital…or from Starling City…" Oliver said. "But I thought I was protecting you…"

"Protecting me?" she questioned.

"From Slade," Oliver responded.

Felicity knew that it had to be something. Oliver wouldn't have just sent her away. He wouldn't have made both her and Diggle miserable for no reason. Felicity gasped as she really thought about it. "When he sent me out—" she whispered.

Oliver nodded as he pushed his hands into his pant pockets. "He could have just killed me…but I was too afraid in that moment that that wouldn't be enough… I would have happily died to protect your life…but I was afraid that he'd kill you and Diggle if I didn't agree to his offer." He was quiet for a long moment. "And now, I've broken it."

"Because of me?"

"We were working on getting you back," Oliver told her. He looked over at Diggle. "I just needed some sense knocked into me…"

Felicity crossed her arms over her chest and looked between the two of them. She couldn't stay angry at Oliver. She knew that. She cared about him too much. "Why did Slade—"

"For Shado," Oliver replied as he looked downward. She hadn't even had time to ask the full question. "Slade loved her and he blames me for her death. He promised me long ago that he'd make me suffer… I guess he thought that taking away you without killing you was continuous suffering…"

She opened her mouth to say something, but he spoke before she did.

He looked up at her. Oliver's bright blue eyes were glazed over with tears that had yet to fall. "He was right."

"You could have said something," she told him quietly. "Digg—"

"I didn't know," Diggle spoke up. "Not until very recently."

"I knew…I knew that he'd say something if I told him. I just couldn't—" Oliver tried to explain.

"I think we already know that it's a bad excuse even if it was made with the best of intentions," Diggle said. "The road to hell was paved with good intentions."

Oliver closed his eyes. "I was afraid when Barry called…that something had happened…and then I thought that maybe Slade had decided to kill you…and if I'd failed to keep you safe…"

Felicity closed the distance between them and put her hands on his shoulders. She stared at him until he opened his eyes again. Their eyes met and her face was serious as she spoke. "Oliver Jonas Queen, you listen to me and remember my words. I make my own choices. It's very…chivalrous…for you to try to protect me…but I knew the risks when I signed on. You know…"

She closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head. She couldn't believe she was going to be saying this. It wasn't just that she was saying it right to him, but that she was saying it in front of Diggle. He knew though. They both knew. It shouldn't come as a surprise to either of them.

"You know that I love you," Felicity pushed out as she stared at him. "You have to give me choices in this… We're a team… If Slade is going to come after you…or me…or Diggle…then we face it together." She squeezed his shoulders just a bit. "Don't you understand that we're stronger as a team? You need me. Don't push me away…" Her voice was suddenly dangerously quiet as she stared at him. "Ever. Again."

His mouth had slowly opened as she'd spoken. It was like he was trying to figure out what to say to what she'd just told him. Felicity really didn't know if he could come up with anything. She was certain that he wanted to argue, but she was going to win, so really there was no point. She had truth and reason on her side. That was it.

"I love you," he finally blurted out.

Felicity just stared at him for a long time. She was giving it time for his words to really sink in. Before, when she'd said it, he'd been at death's door. This time though, they were both fairly clear headed and it was probably the most honest they'd both been with each other in some time.

"I'm coming home," she whispered.

. . .

TBC…


	13. Tense Team Arrow

It was so odd having her back.

He was relieved, but he was on edge. He knew that it was going to be like that. He'd known. The moment that he knew that she was coming home…he knew that he'd have mixed feelings about it all. After all, they were all in danger now. He'd gone and reunited with Felicity, Slade would come after them…he'd come after her.

Slade would try to take Felicity away.

Oliver wouldn't allow that.

They'd protect her.

They had to.

They were a team.

A family.

"You've been awfully quiet," Felicity said.

"I know."

"You haven't said anything since we left Central City. Not even when Digg played the country music for five minutes…"

"What?"

She was just staring at him. "You're worrying… About Slade?"

He nodded slowly. "About Slade… About keeping you safe…"

"We're a team, remember? It's not just you," Felicity reminded him.

Felicity seemed so happy since they'd gotten back. They'd been staying underground in the Foundry. He hadn't wanted to be out in the open, just to be safe. As he stared at her, he realized that he'd blurted out that he loved her. Felicity knew. He knew… Oliver was pretty sure that the bigger bonus there was that he'd realized it.

"Team Arrow," Oliver spoke up.

At one time, he'd told her to stop calling them that, but she'd been right. They were Team Arrow. All of them. Together. After all, he needed help. It couldn't just be him. It wasn't all about Arrow. He needed he behind the scenes help and now they had Sara and Roy. They were a team. A family. Team Arrow was the most fitting name that they really didn't have to think too much about.

"Team Arrow," she repeated with a brighter smile.

"Did you check the systems?"

"Already did it… Fixed a few things."

"Fixed?"

"Digg must have moved some things around…or touched the wrong things," Felicity explained. "Nothing major… Minor, minor things…" She stared at Oliver. "But don't tell Digg that I said that."

"Said what?"

Felicity froze and her eyes went wide as she stared at Oliver. When Diggle came into view, she just swiveled in her chair until she was facing the screen again. "Nothing! Nothing…"

"Nothing," Oliver echoed.

"I leave for ten minutes to get everyone food and you're all talking about me…it better be good stuff," Diggle said.

"It's always good stuff."

"Uh huh," Diggle responded as he set down Felicity's food order next to her. Felicity looked over at him and was relieved that he was smiling.

"Thanks."

"You know, we can't just stay down here… If Slade is anywhere close to smart, he's going to figure out where we are… It won't take him more than a punch to get through the door at the top of the stairs without a code," Diggle said.

Felicity turned in her chair, watching Diggle as he spoke and then would look back to Oliver. He didn't look like he was coping very well. She knew that he wouldn't admit it. He'd worry, but he wouldn't in any way admit to being weak or feeling weak or having a weakness…even though she knew him well enough to know his weaknesses.

"Maybe we can do this after we eat," Felicity spoke up. "Just a suggestion… After all, it's been a long day… And you've both missed me, right? I can tell you about how irritated I am about how you guys have moved stuff around in here and how we're going to get this place back into order."

Diggle let out a laugh. He moved a chair over, so that he was closer to her, bringing his food with him. "Yes, Boss…"

. . .

"You know…I've seen the way he looks at you…"

"Right now that doesn't matter."

"It does."

Felicity stopped and turned to look at Sara. She really didn't know enough about Oliver's past with Sara to be able to judge how to feel about what Sara was saying. Was there a reason behind it? She just stared at Sara. "Right now," Felicity said quietly. "We need to focus on Slade and how we're going to stay alive."

"The only reason that Slade—"

"I know," Felicity told her.

"No, you don't—"

"I was there when he almost killed Oliver," Felicity said.

"I was there when the Mirakuru was first in Slade's system… I was there when Shado died…"

"I don't know what to say to that."

"I'm not trying to compete, Felicity," Sara said. "I just wanted you to know that you're the reason Slade let Oliver live… That's…that's a good thing… But you're also his weakness as much as his strength. So, we need to make sure that while we're out there going after Slade, that we keep you safe."

She knew what Slade Wilson was capable of; she really didn't need Sara lecturing her about it. Sure Sara had been on the island with both Slade and Oliver, but she'd been right there shielding Oliver from Slade. She would have given up her life; she was ready to do so. Felicity knew that Sara and Oliver had a relationship, but so did she…it was vastly different and people probably didn't understand it…but it was deep and rooted in truth and understanding. They were family. They were inching towards something more than friends…

"I'll be safe down here," she told Sara confidently. "I mean, I'm definitely going to know if someone decided to come after me down here. That's…why I've been staying here. It's safer for everyone."

"Slade won't hesitate to come down here," Sara told her. "I assure you."

"So what? You want me to stand in the middle of Starling City and just wait for him to come?" Felicity finally asked. She was getting irritated. She was sure that Sara meant well, but honestly…she wanted to be around just Oliver and Diggle for a little while. Though she was back, she hadn't been ready to jump back into the Foundry that had a larger Team Arrow.

"Felicity…"

"I…I just need some air," she finally said. Felicity was sure that she was just tense. She held up a hand. "I'll be fine." She left Sara in the Foundry and headed upstairs. She figured that if she stayed near the entrance of Verdant that she'd be okay. She was sure that it was just the tension and being back and things being moved and… Felicity hadn't thought it would be so hard to come back.

It shouldn't be hard.

Felicity sat outside and let the cold hit her. She'd purposely left her coat downstairs and was just taking in the cold. Sometimes that was something that you just needed. She was only going to be out there for a few minutes, she just needed the space. It wasn't like her to be so snappy with Sara, but…maybe it was their admission of their feelings or maybe it was just because Felicity felt a little like she'd been replaced… She didn't know. She just knew that it would have been better if she could have eased back into Team Arrow life.

"He's freaking out down there."

Sighing, she got to her feet and turned to see Roy standing behind her. "I haven't been out here for that long, have I?"

"Fifteen minutes…"

"I thought it had only been five."

"I told him I'd been keeping an eye on you," Roy told her. "But I think he knew I was lying."

Felicity smiled and walked towards Roy. "Thank you…just the same…"

"Sometimes it gets too cramped down there," he said quietly as they re-entered Verdant.

Roy was sweet, or at least he could be, Felicity thought as he escorted her back down to the Foundry. She appreciated him looking out for her, even if it was just covering for her. He seemed to understand and that was really what she needed right now.

"See, she's right here… Safe… Maybe a little cold, but you should try to tell her to take her coat," Roy told Oliver as they hit the bottom of the stairs.

He looked furious, but she didn't care. She needed the space. He needed to understand that. Felicity was wishing that Diggle was there, but he'd left early. She'd told him earlier that she'd be fine, but she was suddenly changing her mind. She wasn't scared of Oliver, but she really didn't want to fight with him.

"Could you guys give us some time alone please?" Oliver asked all too calmly.

"Good luck," Roy whispered as he walked past her.

She was going to need it.

"Oliver," she started but he held up a hand. She looked over her shoulder to see both Roy and Sara fleeing from the Foundry. This really wasn't going to be good.

He didn't yell though. He just stood there for a moment and then slowly he removed the mask that Barry had left for him. He discarded it on the table with one of the computers on it as he made his way towards her. Oliver lowered his hood and stared down at her. Before Felicity could explain herself, he was grabbing her and kissing her.

Felicity pulled away at first and then kicked herself for doing so. Oliver seemed shocked. It wasn't her fault! She hadn't been expecting him to assault kiss her! She'd been prepared for yelling and arguing and fighting! Instead of just apologizing, she grabbed him and leaned back into the kiss. This was definitely much better than arguing with him…and much better than she'd dreamt of.

His lips…

Eventually, though, they had to separate to catch their respective breaths. "Okay… I'm just a little confused," he told him and then leaned in and took another minute to kiss her.

Felicity giggled against his lips and pulled back this time. "Are things clearer now?"

"You pulled away…"

"I thought you were going to scold me—"

"I had planned on doing that," Oliver admitted. "But then all I could think of was how much I'd wanted to do that…and that I didn't want to regret not doing that…"

"I hope that you don't have to regret that now…"

"You just keep raising the bar, Felicity," Oliver told her. "I'm sure I'll find something else that I'd regret not doing now…"

Felicity smiled at him. "It's sort of weird that you sent everyone away, just so you could kiss me…"

"I thought you might also appreciate the space."

"I do," she admitted. "It's getting a little crowded in here."

"I figured that when Roy was trying to cover—"

"He was being sweet," Felicity said quickly. "Sara and I might have gotten a little…snappy…"

"You two are fighting?"

"No."

"Felicity…"

"It's just tense…and I've been gone a while… Things are a little different. Don't think that I haven't realized that the salmon ladder still hasn't been moved back to its proper position," Felicity pointed out. Most of the Foundry had been moved back to where Felicity had wanted it, but she still was irked that that rather large piece hadn't been adjusted. There was a perfectly good reason that she wanted it just so…

Oliver smirked. "I'll move it back. I'll move it wherever you want."

"I like watching you…"

"I might have noticed."

"I might not be ashamed of it," Felicity added and then leaned in for a quick kiss. If they were kissing, then she was going to get in as much as she could before all hell broke loose again.

"Good."

. . .

TBC…


	14. A Distraction

"He's a ghost."

"I'm not surprised," Oliver responded. Things were tense and he was trying to keep them from becoming worse.

It was hard.

He kept wanting to snap at anyone, everybody… He couldn't help it. All he could think about was the pain he'd been in when Felicity had been in Central City… Her death would mean so much more… Oliver knew that Slade was right, killing him would end things too easily as far as Slade was concerned. Did he deserve to die because of Shado? Maybe. But did everyone else that got in between Slade and him deserve to, as well? The ones he loved? Those he cared about? The ones who followed him? The ones who didn't know?

Oliver kept thinking that it wasn't something that Shado would have wanted or condoned, but he could be wrong. It hadn't been him choosing Sara over Shado… No matter how much Slade was convinced. It wasn't so black and white. Plus, even if that was how it was, how did you make that kind of decision? How did you make it the right one?

"But we're better, right?" he asked. Oliver really was finding keeping his tone hopeful and somewhat even to be extremely difficult. "You can find something…"

"I want to say yes, Oliver, I do," Felicity told him. She turned and looked up at him. "But I don't know… So far, I can't find anything…"

"We have to—"

"I know, I know," she said quickly.

He noticed the way she was looking at him. Oliver knew that she was worried and he felt stupid that she was worrying about him. "It's going to be okay," she whispered as his hand rested gently on her shoulder. His other hand gripped the back of her chair before he leaned in and kissed her temple. "I promise," he whispered into her ear. He watched as she loved her eyes for a moment and wondered if he was actually convincing.

"Digg is taking his time," Felicity commented.

Oliver grinned as he watched her. "I asked him to," he told her as he headed back to do a gear check. He wanted to double check to make sure that everything they had everything ready, just in case. He hadn't told Diggle, but Diggle had come out and said something. Oliver had inadvertently confirmed it. Diggle was far too good at reading all of them. The three of them: Diggle, Felicity, and him…they'd been through a lot together. Diggle knew how they acted individually and how they acted together. Apparently they'd both given off subtle clues and he'd put it together.

"What?" she asked as she looked over her shoulder back at him.

"I know that you and Sara have been…clashing…and I know that sometimes it probably feels too cramped down here," Oliver told her. "I figured that you could use some space while you looked for Slade…plus, the two of us are never in here just the two of us anymore…"

"But…we're working…"

Oliver smirked and then nodded. "It's still nice."

"It is," she finally agreed with a smile. "I still can't guarantee that I'm going to come up with anything though."

"All we can do is to try, right?"

. . .

Diggle had finally come back and they'd eaten. Just the three of them. It wasn't awkward though, even though Felicity had seemed surprised that Diggle knew. He was fairly sure that it really shouldn't be a surprise to either of them. Dinner had been probably one of the best chunks of time that he'd had in a while. The meal was Chinese, not the best in Starling City, but it was good enough. The company was what had really made it. They'd just talked and laughed. The laughter had been the best part.

Sometimes it amazed him that they could all still laugh…after everything.

What loomed over them all.

Because of him.

He'd gotten called out because of a hostage situation. It had been resolved fairly quickly with Diggle's help. He'd been able to sneak in another way, per Felicity's information, and he'd been able to get the video back online so that he had eyes on the inside.

Oliver had waited nearby on a rooftop, just to make sure that the police got there and were able to take over the situation. He'd left the bad guys neatly attached to a wall, but he preferred to keep an eye on things until things were definitely taken care of. Plus, if Lance wanted to chat with him then he'd already be there.

Okay, so maybe he was making excuses.

He'd really not been ready to head back to the Foundry. Heading back to the Foundry meant that he had to face the fact that Slade was still out there and Felicity was in danger. He just needed a little alone time and air before he went back and faced that.

"You know, I'm getting far too used to meeting you on rooftops…"

Oliver turned at Lance's voice. "I didn't know that you were looking for me."

"I called the number…Ms. Smoak answered, said I could find you here," Lance replied. He motioned towards him. "Don't you two communicate?" He shook his head. "She's probably too busy hacking something for your crime fighting…"

A small smile turned up his lips. It still amazed him that Quentin Lance was once after him, to bring him in, but now…he was on his side. "What can I do for you, Detective?"

"Those guys down there they said that they were paid very well," Lance said. "In order to lure you out… Now you're alive, so I just… I was wondering who could possibly have it out for you… As far as I know, there hasn't been another breakout from Iron Heights—"

"When did you talk to Felicity?" he asked. Normally, Oliver would refer to her as 'Ms. Smoak' to keep from making it seem like they had such a personal relationship. He didn't want to put her in danger further, but he knew that Lance wouldn't do that.

"I don't know…five…seven minutes ago," Lance told him. "You think that maybe he's going after her?"

"I have to go," he told Lance before he readied himself in order to make a quick escape off the roof.

"Oliver."

He paused at the voice in his ear. He was on the edge of the rooftop and he put his hand up to his ear. "Is Felicity okay?"

"I was just going to ask you where she was."

Diggle didn't sound worried; Oliver knew that he must have thought that he knew where she went. That maybe she'd gone to run errands or do something for him. "Slade," he breathed before jumping off the roof.

. . .

"Did you bring up the cameras?"

"Doing it."

The Foundry looked untouched, which he knew was why Diggle's first thoughts hadn't gone to Slade. He turned in a circle, trying to find a clue. The sound of the door at the top of the stairs caught both of their attentions. They both turned to look. Oliver kept hoping it was Felicity, but instead they found Roy and Sara.

"Is he gone?" Sara questioned.

"Slade?" Oliver asked. He wanted to know how they knew to come down there, to know that there was trouble. He noticed that Sara was trying to somewhat conceal her weapon behind her. She definitely wasn't the same person that Slade Wilson had once knew.

"She said that he'd gotten in here," Roy added.

"She?" Diggle and Oliver asked in unison. "Felicity?" They exchanged looks with each other.

"She's up with Thea," Sara told them. "I thought you knew."

"I'm pretty sure she's not coming back down here tonight," Roy put out there. "She's pretty shaken up. We told Thea that she was being followed on her way in by some creeper…just…you know…FYI…"

Oliver started for the stairs before he found Sara standing right in his way. "Sara—"

"You've got to change," she pointed out as she pushed back his hood. "She's okay… Slade's not in Verdant… I'm not even sure how he got in and out of here. It wasn't from upstairs," Sara told him.

"I think I know how," he told her. He knew alternate routes in there. They were necessary. He didn't like it, but Sara was right. Oliver took a step back and sucked in breath. Felicity was safe. Right now. He turned and headed to change. The only thing that could keep him on that path and keep him calm was knowing that Felicity was okay.

. . .

TBC…


	15. Chess Game

She'd seen the absolute worry in him the moment that he'd appeared in her line of sight. Thea had been staying with her and though she'd been nervous to even be up there. What if Slade Wilson decided that he didn't care who saw him? What if he started to lose it in Verdant? There were dozens of innocent people in between where they were and the Verdant entrance into the Foundry.

Felicity stood up and watched him as he closed the distance between them. As he did, she took in all of the people in that club. There were at least a hundred people in that club and it terrified her that Slade Wilson could have ended all of their lives in order to kill her… and to get back at Oliver. It made her head spin.

"Sara and Roy told me what happened," he said as he reached her. He instantly pulled her into a tight hug.

It was what she needed. She clung to him and noticed Diggle, Sara, and Roy now behind him. Felicity noticed that Sara smiled like she was happy, but she really didn't understand why. She held onto Oliver though. She didn't care who was watching.

"Are you okay?" he whispered into her ear.

She'd already been crying and she was sure that her mascara at the very least was smudged and ruined. Felicity just nodded against him. She was physically okay, she was just really shaken.

"Roy said that we didn't need to call the police, even though I think we should," Thea spoke up.

"I can call my dad," Sara volunteered. "I'm sure he'd be happy to meet and take Felicity's statement anywhere…"

Felicity knew that this couldn't go to the police. Sara was just saying it so that it would appease Thea. They couldn't get Starling City Police Department involved, the last time they'd been paid a visit by someone with Mirakuru they'd lost too many and Lance had ended up in the hospital. Even IF Oliver wanted her to do it, she wouldn't. It was far too risky. There were too many risks in the police going head to head with Slade, if they could even find him plus putting pieces together that they didn't need to put together.

"That might be a good idea," Roy spoke up. "Would be more comfortable…"

"Thanks, Speedy," Oliver said as he pulled away from her. He was still holding onto her though, like he wasn't ever letting her go. "I think that I'm going to take her home now…"

Thea nodded and then hugged Felicity unexpectedly. Felicity appreciated it though. "You're okay," Thea said. When Thea moved back to stand next to Roy, she looked towards Oliver. "Maybe someone should stay with her…just for the night."

"She's probably right," Sara piped up.

Felicity noticed an exchange of looks between Sara, Oliver, and Diggle and she was even more confused. She really didn't need this right now when she was so shaken up. All she wanted to do was to be somewhere safe…and now the one place that she felt like she could be safe in…wasn't safe…

She didn't even know if she could go back down there and be alone there. What if Slade came back? His words haunted her and tears started once again before she could even think to hold them back. A hand touched her arm and she jumped and collided with Oliver, who held her tight in place.

"It's okay," he breathed.

"I'm sorry," Diggle apologized. "I was just going to walk you out… I figured you were probably ready…"

Felicity just nodded quickly. She looked at Oliver, who released her then, and then moved to Diggle. This time she was ready when he put an arm around her. "All of my things…" she said suddenly and came to a halt at the bottom of the stairs. She looked in the direction of the Foundry entrance as an overwhelming wave of fear hit her.

"Do you want me to go down and get them?" he asked.

She looked directly at him. His tone of voice and his face told her that he wasn't upset about her wanting this. Felicity finally nodded. She felt stupid, but she just wasn't ready to go back in there. It was all too soon. Felicity watched as Diggle motioned to Oliver to come down. She was sure that he was thanking Thea for being there and covering whatever needed to be covered.

Diggle wouldn't leave her until Oliver's arm was around in her, in place of Diggle's. Felicity knew that he was trying to protect her and she appreciated it. She appreciated it more than she could tell them. She kept thinking that she needed to figure out how to up their security and then her mind went to upping Verdant's security in turn.

He pulled her close and pressed a kiss into her hair before turning her in the direction of the parking lot. Felicity felt like there was so much that needed to be said, so much that needed to be done, and yet…she needed to be out of there. She needed air. She needed freedom from the concrete and the walls. Even if it was only temporary.

"What happened?" he asked gently as soon as they were outside of the club. She didn't miss him scanning in every direction for Slade.

"I don't know where he got in," Felicity barely whispered. She looked at him the whole time, unable to become paranoid with their surroundings like he was. Felicity was afraid that if she let that darkness envelop her that there'd be no coming back. "He didn't come down the stairs…I know that for sure…" she told him, her voice breaking. Tears were flooding her face and she knew that she should look away, but she couldn't. She was afraid that Slade would be there in the peripheral of her vision.

"Did he hurt you?"

He stopped then and turned right to look at her. They were by her car now, she noticed that Diggle's and Oliver's was nearby was as well. He stared at her and she knew that he was waiting for a response.

Felicity finally shook head and then looked down. She reached out with shaking hands. She gripped his arms. "Oliver… I don't think I've ever been so scared… I didn't know what to do…"

"You're safe," he told her and lifted her chin so that he could look at her. Her bright blue eyes were filled with tears as she just stared at him.

"Are you okay?"

She turned to see Diggle finally joining them. He had her purse and her coat. He looked like a good husband. She was fairly sure that he wouldn't appreciate that remark spoken aloud. Or at least he wouldn't be greatly amused by it. "I'm good now…" she told him quietly.

"We're taking her to my place, right?" Diggle asked, but he wasn't asking her.

"I want to go home," Felicity insisted.

"Felicity—"

"Digg's place is more defendable," Oliver pointed out.

She looked between them. She was so done. "I don't care…" she breathed. "I've been hiding in the Foundry this whole time…the one place that we thought was safe… It wasn't safe," she told them, breaking down again. "I. Want. To. Go. Home. Now."

They didn't seem to argue.

"I'll follow you over," he told Oliver after a minute.

"Don't worry," she said as she turned to look at Oliver. "I'm not going to fight to drive my own car." She just couldn't deal with the responsibility of being behind the wheel. She didn't think she could concentrate enough to back out of the spot she'd parked in let alone make it from Verdant to her place. There was just no way. She was a raw ball of emotions and she just wanted to be home.

She slid into the front passenger seat and buckled in. For a moment, she thought that it didn't matter. If Slade Wilson wanted to kill her…them…a seat belt wasn't going to stand in his way. In his eyes, they were already dead. She stared out the window and just let the tears fall freely.

How had they suddenly lost everything?

When she'd been sent away by Oliver, she'd thought that she'd lost her whole world then. She'd been sent to Central City to live this seemingly perfect life, if you looked in from the outside, but it wasn't… She had been wrong then. Living that life, being miserable without her guys and what she wanted to do…the life that she'd had choice in…that had been easy compared to this…

Was it worth it?

She didn't know.

Tonight.

Slade Wilson had won.

She hated him so much for it.

He'd taken away her safety and security.

But the morning, it would bring a new day…a day where they could win…and they would. She knew that they could do it. Slade Wilson had better watch out because Team Arrow was coming after him. They wouldn't be caught off guard so easily in the future. Felicity was sure of that.

. . .

She didn't know when she'd fallen asleep or really how that had happened, but she had. She woke up confused at first and then the moment she saw his face, she remembered. Felicity curled up beside him, just staring at him through the dim veil of the dark. She reached out and caressed his cheek. He looked so content and peaceful. It was so odd seeing him like that. It was bad enough that he didn't smile enough.

"Hey," he breathed.

Felicity smiled. Did he ever sleep? "You need your rest," she told him quietly.

"I slept."

"How long?"

"Long enough."

His eyes opened and stared back at her. She'd fallen asleep in his arms. She'd told him everything. Felicity was sure that Diggle could have heard her and she was half surprised that the neighbors hadn't called the police out because it had erupted into screams. She hadn't meant for it to, but it had. It was like she'd relieved the whole entire thing. She never wanted to again, but she didn't think it was that easy.

"You're the one who needs sleep," Oliver told her as his hand ran through her loose hair.

She'd taken out her ponytail after spilling everything to Oliver. Telling him how Slade could have killed her and how he'd demonstrated how he would have done it. How Slade had told her that she couldn't trust Oliver and that if Slade didn't kill her, then that her death would still be because of Oliver. That Slade was going to disappear, but that he'd be back. That he'd pick them all off one by one. That he was going to make Oliver suffer in the most prolonged way possible. That they weren't safe anywhere, none of them. He was coming for all of them. The Queens. Team Arrow. Anyone who had any connection to them. They were all going to die.

Felicity just stared at him and blinked the tears away. "What if this is it?" she questioned.

"What?" he breathed and she could tell that he was shocked.

"What if this is it? This is all the time we have? If Slade comes—"

"Don't talk like that," he told her quickly and she could hear the slight bit of anger in his voice. She didn't blame him though. She was angry.

"What would you regret?"

"Slade killing anyone, but me," Oliver admitted. "For him coming after you," he added quietly a moment later. He was still just staring at her.

"Do you know what I'd regret?" she asked after a long moment. She looked down before looking back up at him. "I'd regret that we never even kissed...that I wasn't ever allowed the moment where you finally noticed me…" Her voice broke and she knew that it sounded stupid. She looked down and then covered her face with her hands.

"Felicity," he said ever so softly a few moments later. His hands tried to move her hands from her face. "How could I not notice you?" Oliver questioned. "From the moment we met… There was something about you…"

"I'm pretty sure you didn't walk into the IT department and go 'wow, that's a girl I might want to kiss one day'," Felicity countered, trying to lighten the mood and joke about it. They really needed to stop on this topic. She hadn't really meant to blurt that out.

Oliver pushed some hair back from her face and tilted her chin. "Felicity Smoak… You are unlike any other woman in my life. You are everything that I never knew that I wanted or needed in life. You are the reason that I keep going even when I want to give up. You push me to be a better man, don't you see that?" he pushed as he stared at her. She could see the tears filling his eyes. His voice turned emotional and quieter. "You taught me that I can find other ways… That I deserve better… And that no matter how much I can try not to love you, that I do just the same…"

"You never said—"

"I was waiting for the perfect time to be completely honest," he admitted. "We…talked about some of this in Central City… I guess… I guess I thought that you knew…"

She wrapped her arms around him and just hugged him. Felicity closed her eyes and thought about just how lucky she was…they were. Right now they were alive and that was what mattered. Normally, this wouldn't be such a news flash to her, but given their current circumstances…it just reminded her of how precious every second of every minute of every hour of every day was…even more so than the last.

"I don't want to have any regrets…"

"I don't want to make any mistakes," he countered.

"Oliver…"

"I meant it when I said what I said," Oliver told her as he pulled back to stare at her. "Everything that I said…you are unlike any woman ever in my life…and I don't want to ruin things…"

"I won't let that happen," she whispered a little sadly with a smile.

"Felicity—"

"Sometimes you have to give up control, Oliver," she told him. "Or at least share it." She cupped his cheeks. Felicity shrugged. "Sometimes you just have to make that leap and trust the other person…" They were quiet for what seemed like hours before she finally spoke up again. "Do you trust me?"

"With my life…and my heart."

Felicity smiled and leaned in; Oliver's hands moved, one to her waist and the other to her hair and he pulled her the rest of the way until their lips met. The kiss was slow and trying to stretch out that moment as long as they could. It was followed by another kiss and another. Their hands moving, Felicity's hand moved to his hair and under the back of his shirt. Oliver was holding her even closer. His hard, toned body right up against hers.

As much as she wanted to savor this moment. This moment that possibly could be the last moment that they were this close, she was also craving him so badly. She wanted him and she really didn't want to have to wait. Felicity's hands moved together to try to remove his shirt.

Oliver laughed into their kiss and held onto her hands. "Ms. Smoak, are you trying to get my clothes off so soon?"

"It's not like I haven't seen you in less…a lot less," she told him honestly.

He laughed again and allowed for her to remove his shirt before he starting to kiss along her neck. "I love you," he whispered into her ear. His head resting on her shoulder for a moment before moving to remove her shirt and then kissing along her shoulder.

"I love you," she responded and tried to keep the tears back. It had taken them so much to get to this point. She was just afraid that even if they didn't have this as a regret, that there would be so much that they wouldn't be able to experience in the future that might not be…together. Felicity turned her head until her cheek pressed against the side of his face near the shoulder he was kissing.

"No tears," he told her.

She hadn't realized that they'd fallen in all honestly. She just loved him and she was so happy that this moment was finally here…that there would be no regrets, she hoped for either of them. Oliver took a moment to kiss her tears away before moving so that he was above her and she was on her back. Felicity just watched him for a moment. He was removing his pants before he got back so that he was right above her. This was about how little she was all too used to seeing him in, not that she would ever, ever, EVER complain about that. He was gorgeous.

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

Felicity nodded. "You know that," she added. She'd always thought that it was odd how early on that she'd trusted him. It was before she'd even been brought into Team Arrow, even before it was in an 'I'm doing this to get Walter back' capacity. Through all his lies and ridiculous stories, she trusted him.

He removed her pajama shorts and tossed them aside, leaving her in just her bra and panties. She couldn't help it, normally she wouldn't sleep with a bra, but she'd felt the need to with Oliver sleeping at her side. Plus, she'd been pretty out of it before she'd passed out, she hadn't been thinking about comfort. No matter what anyone said, sleeping in a bra with underwire was not comfortable unless you were a person that never moved an inch in your sleep.

Oliver removed her glasses and set them on the bedside table. She was a little disappointed, but at the same time she trusted him. She just wanted to be able to see every inch of him that she hadn't seen before.

His weight was on her and his lips were on hers once again. Felicity smiled against his lips. Her hand wandered through his short hair as his hand removed the band that was holding her hair in a ponytail. Oliver's hand felt so good not only freeing her hair, but also against her scalp. His fingers traced lazy designs into her scalp. As they parted, she just stared at him. This was surreal. She'd thought of this…but she'd never actually thought that it would happen.

His lips were on her neck again and then along her shoulder. Felicity was sure that the facial hair was just adding to the pleasure. He moved to cover every space of her skin from her neck to her bra line. The kisses alone were more than she'd ever actually hoped for. Her skin tingled at each kiss and touch. A gasp escaped her lips and she arched her neck back even more, trying to make sure that he was reaching every bit of her skin.

"Oliver…" she gasped out and moved her hands down his spine. Felicity had meant to take charge, but that obviously wasn't happening at the moment. She really wasn't going to complain. Felicity didn't mind how things were turning out though.

He kissed his way up to her ear and then sighed into her ear. "Fe-li-city…"

Felicity loved how he said her name normally, but she loved how he said her name even more in that moment. Just his voice brought her such joy and even her body was reacting to it. God, how she wanted him. She still didn't quite feel like this was real.

He moved back to kissing her, but he didn't linger. Shifting his weight, so that he was on one side of her, he grabbed one of her hands and started by kissing her fingertips. He moved down to kiss her palm before doing the same to the right one. Oliver moved to kiss her forehead and then the tip of her nose.

In all her life, Felicity hadn't ever remembered feeling this loved, happy, and content rolled all into a single moment. The kisses and touches possibly could fuel her patience; Felicity knew that he was already testing it. His mouth was on hers again and she kissed him hard, clinging to his body to squeezing it as she pressed against it. When he squeezed her back, it took her breath away for a moment, he was so heavy and so strong…but she felt so much love for him. She knew that this was more than just sex. Oliver was sure to have a filled little black book of women to just have sex with, Felicity knew that she wasn't one of them.

And she needed to stop thinking of other women Oliver could be with.

"You're beautiful," he breathed against her lips before moving down her neck and chest again.

The tingling and the pure joy it brought her was almost unimaginable. Felicity realized that she really was going to have to be patient. She wanted Oliver, she did, but this…she suddenly was appreciating his slow (and even agonizing) foreplay. Her body was responding quite happily and he hadn't even removed her undergarments yet.

"Oliver…"

His finger covered her lips. It didn't linger though. He was moving his kisses down the middle of her breasts and down past the bra that still covered them. Oliver kissed straight down to her bellybutton and then past it. He kissed down one leg and then back up the other. He was kissing up the curve of her right side and she reached down, he pushed her hand back up.

Felicity gasped when he pulled her up quickly into a sitting position. His arms were holding her tightly in place and he was leaning towards her again. She leaned into the kiss and held onto him just as tight. This kiss was far more passionate and filled with fervor. She'd almost missed his hands undoing the clasp of her bra, but as it loosened around her, she realized it. He pulled back and she just stared at him.

Slowly, Oliver removed her bra, his fingers started to trace slowly where the bra straps had been. One hand held her back firmly in place while the other started to gently caress her breast as his mouth started to adore the other one. Felicity's head rolled back. He was sucking and licking her nipple; occasionally he'd gently use his teeth. She really did want him. But this…all of this, was well worth the wait. Oliver moved her legs apart a bit more and moved himself between them. He carefully lowered her back to the bed, his mouth never leaving her nipple.

Felicity gasped and then moaned happily. She could feel the heat between her legs and Oliver's knee pressing against it was just making her hotter and wetter. She was certain that he could feel that her panties were already wet, but she could tell that that wasn't going to move his attention from where it was currently.

She didn't know how long it was until he finally released her nipple, but when he finally did she almost whined in disappointment. She didn't want it to stop. Well, she did…but she didn't. Felicity was about to voice it when his hand dropped from her other breast and his mouth was suddenly paying attention to the other side. She sighed happily and arched her back up to ensure that he had as much of whatever he was currently adoring in his mouth. She couldn't get enough.

Oliver's hand now free from her breast, she jumped slightly when it pulled her panties to one side. She had almost forgotten that not both of his hands were supporting her. He chuckled against her breast and then began sucking again. She was definitely wet already. His finger slid easily as it traced her lips. He circled a few times, just playing and testing spots. She moaned and was trying desperately to get him to continue everything he was doing. Felicity had been gripping his shoulder and her other hand had been in his hair. She was fairly sure that she might have left marks on his back and possibly pulled some of his short hair out.

Slowly, he pushed a finger inside of her. He started a slow rhythm and Felicity was already trying to match it. "Oliver…" she moaned. His lips left her nipple and moved back to her mouth again. The kiss was fierce and frenzied. He increased the rhythm, keeping her body pressed against him, his hand still on her back.

She was wet enough, she knew, and she could already feel a second finger lazily tracing her lips. Felicity moaned into his mouth as he slid it into her. His thumb grazed over her clit and she moaned louder. He picked up the pace and she matched. Oliver's lips didn't stay at hers for long. They started to move back down her neck and along her chest. His thumb would occasionally circle her clit and every time she'd let out a moan. His lips wrapped around one of her nipples again and he sucked eagerly. Felicity knew that she was close… It didn't take much more of his mouth and his thumb before she was shaking and her moans were louder than they'd been before.

Oliver never stopped. He continued through the overwhelming pleasure she was feeling. Her body kept arching and within a few more minutes, she was hit by another wave.

"Oliver," she gasped between moans.

Eventually, he withdrew his fingers and released her nipple. He kissed her all over as Felicity just lay there and soaked in the bliss that had overtaken her. She smiled up at him as he stared down at her. Patience, it really could be a good thing even when all she wanted was him right then and there.

"You're so gorgeous," he whispered as he pushed a few stray strands away from her face.

She reached down and pushed her panties down as she lifted herself up. Once she'd gotten them down to her toes, she flipped them to wherever they would land. She really didn't care where they landed at the moment. Felicity reached up and cupped his cheek. She just stared at him for a long moment before she pulled him down for a kiss. She held it until she needed air. They both gasped and then smiled.

Felicity sat up slowly, her body was still tingling and her legs didn't feel as strong as they normally were. She pushed him back onto the bed. It was her turn now. She straddled him, surprising even herself. She was already there and she had a goal. Right now, that was really all that mattered. Felicity ran her hand along his muscled and scarred chest until she reached the waistband of his boxers. She lifted herself a bit in order to pull the boxers down. He helped to remove them the rest of the way and they were both finally naked.

Oliver was already hard and ready, but Felicity ran her fingers along the head and then the shaft. He sighed. His hardness pressed against her and it was really enough to push her past any crazy ideas of prolonging this further. Patience was only needed so far, right? Leaning forward, she kissed him as she moved until she was in the right position. As she started to straighten, she started to lower herself onto him. She moaned as she did so. He was more than the fingers that he'd had in her before. Slowly, he filled and stretched her.

Sitting there for a moment, she allowed her body to adjust to his size and just the feeling of fullness that he was bringing her. His hands were both on her breasts now, slowly playing with her nipples. She stared down at him as she started the rhythm. He'd had control of her body before, but she had control now…though she was fairly sure that his ability to look, speak, or touch her really meant that she didn't have as much control as she thought she did.

"Felicity…" he moaned when she increased her speed.

He was going to climax quicker, but she'd expected that. After all, he'd played with her before…she was sure that that had been a test of patience on his part as well. Before she could really realize what he was up to, Oliver supported himself with one of his arms while he moved himself so that he was at the perfect angle to suck on her nipple and his hand wandered down between them. Felicity's back arched and she moaned loudly. She really didn't think this was fair at all…enjoyable…but not fair. She found herself so much closer than she was before. He didn't stop. Felicity allowed it for a couple more minutes until she was just teetering on the edge; she reached down until her hands were able to reach between them. She didn't move his hand away; instead she gently squeezed his balls. It was enough to push him over the edge and she followed almost immediately.

Felicity didn't know how long they lay there in a heap on her bed before she realized that the world around them was still there. She untangled herself a bit, but kept close to Oliver. "What is that sound?" she asked quietly.

"I'm pretty sure that's Diggle's way of trying to sleep," Oliver replied. He seemed amused more than anything else.

She closed her eyes, blush rose in her cheeks, and she rolled into his shoulder.

. . .

"Just so you two know, I can never un-hear what I heard last night."

Felicity spit out her coffee.

Diggle and Oliver both laughed, mainly because she ended up spitting it out onto Oliver. Diggle honestly didn't seem pissed, though he didn't seem pleased with them either. How did you even start to explain that…or apologize? Did you? She wondered if it was different between two guys…because if she were to even THINK about doing that…she was fairly sure that apologizing to Diggle for being loud with Oliver was just going to be flat out awkward and embarrassing.

"I'm going to have to change again," Oliver complained, but laughed anyway.

"Oliver, I—"

Felicity looked between the two of them and just didn't know what to say or do. It might have been great being back…and for having this new and different relationship with Oliver, but it was hard when things were just plain awkward. It didn't seem like Oliver was having the same problem though. She just tried to ignore them for a moment and went back to drinking her coffee.

Oliver ran his hand along her arm and then her back. "I'm going to go change, do you want to come help?"

She knew that he was just teasing.

"Seriously, you need to get me those expensive noise canceling headphones," Diggle told him.

Felicity didn't understand how they could joke and tease so openly about it. She just hoped that it didn't go beyond her apartment. She let her head fall to where her arm rested on the table. Otherwise, she was doomed.

"When's your birthday?" Oliver asked.

"Not soon enough."

Felicity just banged her head against her arm a couple more times. She supposed that it could have been much worse. It was just Diggle…not everyone else. She knew that she wouldn't have even been able to think about stepping into the Foundry for who knew how long if that had been the case. Diggle, well, maybe she could feel less embarrassed…she doubted that he'd tease her about it or really bring it up at all.

. . .

"We're like chess pieces," Diggle commented after he'd heard Felicity explain what had happened in the Foundry. He'd known the basics before, but she hadn't told anyone except Oliver everything that had happened. But now, it was the next day and people needed to know. Felicity knew that no matter what, the Foundry wasn't going to feel as safe as it once had.

"He probably sees it like that," Oliver finally said aloud. "He likes games…"

"Especially mind games," Sara reminded.

"I'm still liking the idea that we hunt him down and we take him down," Roy spoke up. "Now…before he can do anything else."

"I don't think that's really the wisest idea," Felicity said as she spun around towards them in her chair. She'd been trying to concentrate on her screen and what was in front of her. She was happy to explain what had gone on and then just go on to trying not to dwell on what had happened. It had been terrifying enough to go down into the Foundry on her own, let alone with that looming over her head. She was positive that she wouldn't have been able to have done it if Oliver and everyone hadn't gone with her. There was definitely safety in numbers when it came to Slade Wilson and really anyone with Mirakuru in their system.

"Really," Roy stated more than questioned.

"You still need training…" Felicity pointed out as she looked directly at Roy. "No matter how much you think you can take him on…you're not ready. Now, I'm not going to take up a vote when you start to argue about it, but it's the truth." She liked Roy, she did, but he needed their help still. He wasn't ready to go out there and vigilante on his own yet. She looked towards Oliver, Sara, and Diggle. "And I would prefer some more training lessons…even if it only helps me in feeling one percent better than I did yesterday."

"Felicity—" Oliver started to argue.

She held up a hand to stop him. "We need the time, Oliver… As much as our instincts might be to go after him now… As hard as it's going to be to be looking over our shoulders for who knows how long…" She could tell that Diggle and Sara agreed with her and she knew that deep down so did Oliver and Roy, just none of them liked it. She didn't like it either. Felicity really wasn't too keen on living in fear, but they couldn't stop living. They all had lives, family, friends, and each other. They had to continue on and work towards defeating Slade…whenever that happened to end up being.

"She's right," Diggle spoke up first.

"I really hate when you two agree," Oliver commented moodily. He crossed his arms over his chest and turned to the side. She knew he wasn't upset though. He just was someone who liked to make sure that everyone was taken care of and this…this was going to be hard on them all. After all, Slade Wilson was from the island…from Oliver's (and Sara's) past.

"I hate to say it," Sara said. "But I have to agree with her too, Ollie…"

Roy just seemed frustrated. "What about everyone in the meantime?"

Felicity was certain that his concern was with Thea. Roy and Thea had taken over Verdant the last time that Oliver had been on Lian Yu, and obviously Slade Wilson could get into the Foundry…which meant he could easily go upstairs to Verdant. Slade could easily kill every person in that club without a problem, Felicity had no doubt…and quite possibly before Starling City Police could even respond. Not that they'd really be able to do anything to help.

"We keep close… It's not going to be relaxing…" Oliver replied.

"He's probably going to take more of a thrill from this than anything else," Sara commented with a sigh. Felicity had noticed that her comment was mainly directed towards Oliver. She walked off and found something to hit. Felicity didn't blame her, she was fairly sure that they could all use some time hitting things.

"I say that this calls for going out for drinks," Diggle decided. "Though Roy—"

"Yeah, I know," he responded with a smirk. "I have work anyways," Roy told him as he motioned upward. "Thea's probably wondering where I've gone off to…"

"I'll go with you," Sara told Diggle.

Felicity watched Roy disappeared and Sara and Diggle chatted. She turned back to her computer. "I think I'm just going to check things…and then head home…thanks though," she told them quietly. If it was any other night and all hell hadn't broken loose, she'd be all for it…she just couldn't tonight. She was still processing and trying to cope with everything.

"I'm going to pass too," Oliver said.

She glanced over her shoulder for a minute and noticed that Oliver was pretending to be checking things. She knew that he was only pretending because he never did it right. She knew exactly what went where and how many of what was always out. Oliver just worked out and sharpened arrows… Not that that wasn't also helpful… She could really use some Oliver on the salmon ladder goodness to watch…

"Your loss," Diggle said.

Felicity glanced back over to see Diggle and Sara leaving. At least they could unwind and maybe have a good time. Everyone deserved that, Felicity just needed to stay in the Foundry a bit longer even though the anxiety that was slowly rising told her that she'd made a big enough step already. It was helpful that Oliver had stayed behind and she was certain that it was because she'd said that she was staying. Why else would he just stay?

"You didn't have to stay," she said quietly, her eyes on her computer once she'd heard the door at the top of the stairs close.

"I wasn't going to leave you here all alone," he said and she could hear that he was closer than when she'd last seen him.

"He's not coming back now," Felicity told him quietly with a sigh. She turned around in her chair and found him standing there in front of her. "He's going to make us wait…"

"I know."

"I can't let that cripple me…"

Oliver crouched down. "I'm not going to let you out of my sight."

"You have to sometimes," Felicity reminded.

"I can find a way."

Felicity stared at him for a long moment. He was serious. It was scary. It wasn't just the whole him sounding like a creeper bit, but the fact that their relationship was at another level. She wasn't sure exactly the level, but they were far enough past friends… "You sound like a stalker," she finally teased.

Oliver smirked. "Would you really mind if I didn't let you out of my sight?"

"Maybe…maybe not," she responded. "You know, I'm fairly sure that you'd get sick of me… I'd drive you nuts…"

"We spend quite a lot of time together as it is," he pointed out.

Felicity crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. She was amused by this line of discussion. It was true, though. A lot of her time was spent within eyesight and earshot of both Oliver and Diggle. As much as she might like being so close with Oliver, she was fairly sure that they'd drive each other nuts…more so than they already did.

"I have no idea what your bedroom looks like on a regular basis," Felicity pointed out.

"I have no idea why that matters…"

"Whether or not you just drop things all over the floor… If there would be clothes and shoes for me to trip over," she explained. "And I have absolutely no idea how you leave the bathroom…"

Oliver just stared at her.

"What? These are serious questions…"

"I'm sure they are…and they're scaring me a little bit," Oliver said with a slight smile. "In a good way."

"In a good way?" she asked confused.

"I've never been in a relationship where I had even seriously entertained the thought of living with someone else and being concerned that my hygienic habits and housekeeping skills would possibly not make the cut with the other person," he admitted honestly.

Oliver really didn't talk much about his past relationships. He knew there were a lot. Laurel, Helena, McKenna, Sara, Shado… She was pretty sure that the only one that he probably came close to getting to that point with was probably Laurel since they seemed to have been practically married before the Gambit went down. Felicity wasn't going to question him about it though. There was a lot from the island and his past that he didn't share and she knew that if he felt like it was right, then he'd tell her. Right now, she really didn't need to know.

"Are we in that kind of relationship?" she suddenly found herself asking.

"I think we are," he whispered. Oliver reached out and touched her face. "I don't want to regret waiting…" he told her honestly.

He was right.

With everything with Slade up in the air, there was no telling what was going to happen in the future. There was no telling which ones of them would die at Slade Wilson's hands. There was no telling who would survive… They really did have to live…to live each moment to the last. She knew that, deep down that made sense, but then at the same time she wasn't sure how to compact everything that was expected to happen into a life…

"I just…I didn't…" Felicity stumbled as she tried to get out the words and phrases and sentences that just all sounded wrong.

His lips were on hers and he was silencing her now. His arms around her as he moved up from his crouching position so that he could embrace her fully. Felicity wrapped her arms around him and returned the kiss. She knew that they were good together both professionally and personally…and even intimately… Didn't it make sense? It was starting to seem like it did.

"Okay," she finally blurted out once their lips were parted.

"Okay? That's it?" he teased.

Felicity's eyes widened suddenly and she started to panic a bit. "I—I just…and we just…and my brain—"

He kissed her again, effectively silencing her from continuing to ramble. He laughed into the kiss and then pulled back after a minute. "I'm teasing…" he told her. "And I couldn't be happier…"

This was it.

This was the start of the life they were going to be leading until Slade was caught. She didn't know if it was extend beyond Slade Wilson's return, but she knew that right now that they were all they needed. Each other and love. Team Arrow was helpful, too. Felicity just knew that they probably wouldn't be where they were if Slade Wilson hadn't started everything, and as painful as that was to think about it like that…maybe it was all worth it.

Maybe this was how it was supposed to be.

And hopefully…they'd make it through the challenges and tests to come.

"Let's go home…" Oliver said as he pulled her to her feet. "No need to push it anymore today… Tonight, the police can deal with the criminals… Tomorrow, we'll get back to work."

Felicity just nodded. He was right. There was no use pushing herself. There was no use in making herself feel miserable. "Okay," she whispered. It was odd to think of her place as 'home', but she knew that right now it was the best option. If it felt too cramped, then later they could come up with something better.

"Let's go home."

. . .

The End.


End file.
